Below is an excellent article by Wesley J. Smith detailing how Swiss Nursing homes are now advertising assisted suicide to patients, without conscience objection. Forced participation in assisted suicide, in violation of conscience, is already happening to some degree in the United States. Nancy Valko, RN, explains how nurses are already being forced to facilitate assisted suicide in the United States:
“After Oregon passed its assisted suicide law, the Oregon Nurses Association published assisted suicide guidelines for nurses that state: “[i]f the nurse becomes involved in a situation where he/she is unwilling to be involved in the care of a patient who has chosen assisted suicide, the nurse continues to be obliged to provide for the patient’s comfort and safety, and to withdraw only when assured that alternative sources of end of life care are available to the patient. If the nurse is unable to transfer care to another provider, the nurse has the responsibility to provide for ongoing end of life care.” and that nurses may not ““subject your patients or their families to unwarranted, judgmental comments or actions because of the patient’s choice to explore or select the option of assisted suicide.” (emphasis added). (Source: “Assisted Suicide: the Debate Continues.” The Oregon Nurse. Vol 62, No.3, September 1997. Online at: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.oregonrn.org/resource/resmgr/imported/Assisted%20Suicide%20Adjusted.pdf)
So the groundwork for being forced to facilitate assisted suicide has already been laid out in the US.
And just as disturbing, also note that Compassion and Choices has pushed for VSED (voluntary stopping of eating and drinking) to be included with end of life discussions in the US. VSED is on C and C’s options page on their website as a legal option for states without legalized assisted suicide laws. C and C, of course, already opposes conscience rights for ethical health care providers.”
In his article, Wesley J. Smith discusses how the Swiss legislature has recently passed legislation to allow assisted suicide groups to advertise and promote within government-funded nursing homes.
“There are no exemptions for conscientious objection by managers in the homes…The new regulations specify that nursing home personnel will not be allowed to interfere if a patient chooses to die. In fact, they are required to set aside a room where the staff of the assisted suicide organisation Exit will help the person to die…Imagine the potential impact on other patients. Imagine knowing that there is a suicide room in your nursing home…And imagine knowing your caregivers have to cooperate in the suicides of you or your friends.”
Wesley J. Smith’s full article is available here: