Euthanasia, also referred to as physician-assisted suicide, is the term used to describe when a person takes an intentional action for the express purpose of ending a life, in order to provide relief from intolerable suffering. The subject has been extremely complicated in the United States and across the globe, and is characterized by several ethical implications.

For example, the autonomy of a patient to make decisions about when to end his or her life is complex, and who should make the decision if a person is incapacitated? In addition, if a nurse is opposed to euthanasia, but a patient requests an end to his or her life, what is the ethical obligation? Is it the obligation of the healthcare profession to prolong life at any cost, or is it more ethically indicated to honor the wishes of the patient or his or her family?

Nurses have an obligation to follow the policy guidelines of their professional organization: the American Nurses Association prohibits nurses from participating in assisted suicide and euthanasia because “these acts are in direct violation of Code of Ethics for Nurses” (Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide, and Aid in Dying, 2013.) Although this would be extremely challenging in cases where patients are clearly in intolerable pain and suffering from terminal illnesses, it is vital to follow the policy of the ANA.

Although physician-assisted suicide is legal in some countries such as Netherlands, in the United States it has been much more complex. Currently, three states (Washington, Vermont, and Oregon) have legalized physician-assisted suicide, and one state, Montana, has legal physician-assisted suicide by a court ruling (Euthanasia: State-by-State Guide to Physician-Assisted Suicide, 2014.) Physician-assisted suicide is illegal in the remaining 46 states. The stakeholders in this scenario include patients and their families, hospitals and nursing homes, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals as well as society as a whole.