Nursing involvement in euthanasia: how sound is the philosophical support?

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Nursing Ethics
• Moral Philosophy

Background:

• Preference utilitarianism advocates for maximizing individual autonomous choices.
• This ethical theory suggests nurses should support patients desiring aid in ending their lives.
• The moral validity of nursing involvement in euthanasia requires ethical scrutiny.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the philosophical underpinnings of preference utilitarianism concerning nursing's role in euthanasia.
• To determine if preference utilitarianism offers adequate justification for nursing participation in end-of-life measures.
• To assess the broader applicability of preference utilitarianism in guiding general nursing practice.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of preference utilitarianism principles.
• Philosophical examination of nursing's ethical obligations in euthanasia contexts.
• Critique of the proposed nurse-patient relationship under this framework.

Main Results:

• Preference utilitarianism provides insufficient philosophical support for nursing involvement in euthanasia.
• The framework imposes an undignified patient-nurse relationship, replacing a subservient one with the medical profession.
• This ethical approach is deemed inadequate for guiding overall nursing activities.

Conclusions:

• Preference utilitarianism does not sufficiently sanction nursing roles in euthanasia.
• Alternative ethical frameworks are necessary to philosophically support nursing's involvement in end-of-life care.
• The ethical justification for nursing in euthanasia requires further exploration beyond preference utilitarianism.