Nurses and Care of Patients at the End of Life on the ANA Revised Position Statement

Abstract

On December 4, 2009, the American Nurses Association (ANA) issued a call for public comment on a revised position statement, “Registered Nurses' Roles and Responsibilities in Providing Expert Care and Counseling at the End of Life.” The intent of this new statement is to replace the 1994 position statements on assisted suicide and active euthanasia, which clearly prohibit nurse participation in those activities. The revised position statement subtly endorses assisted suicide. Four main problems in the revised statement are addressed in this essay: a misunderstanding of the principle of double effect, the misuse of sole intent in the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, confusion about the meaning of conscience, and failure to recognize the primacy of human dignity. To date, the ANA's final decision on the revised statement has not been released.