Nurses End Patient Lives Every Day

A recent nursing journal article focuses on the ethics of NRP. But I love this quote from a nurse that places matters into a broader context:

“I mean, where else is it ok to end someone’s life? I mean, nowhere really. It’s not ok, is it? But in a hospital… that’s something we do all the time. We are always ending… killing people."

"I know I say it like that, but like, I know it, it sounds shocking, but that’s what we do, you know? We decide to turn off the machines. We decide to stop the medication. And it’s all decisions that we make, and what it really comes down to is ending people’s lives."

"I just think that outside of a hospital, I can’t really think of many situations where that’s normal and accepted and an everyday thing to do. But in a hospital… everyday… we are ending people’s lives… and I think that people… I dunno… it’s just weird—if you think about it… if you really think about it. But you can’t really, can you? You have to have your hospital head on, not your normal person head on, which would be horrified”