My Response To Assisted Suicide

When reflecting on issues such as, putting aside personal beliefs, morals, and values, as well as refraining from judgment, I must admit, I have been guilty of such things myself. Not all the time, but situations have risen that has really struck a chord. Here is a crazy example... I went to see a movie with some friends (Me Before You). It was great! It made me laugh, it made me cry... particularly from laughing so hard.... I completely fell in love with the characters. Now, in a typical love story, girl meets boy, girls despises boy, girl and boy fall head over heels in love... and they live happily ever after, at least according to Hallmark. Subsequently, this movie had a different tale to tell.... Now Trudy if you haven't seen the movie,
SPOILER ALERT! This handsome young man and extremely quirky girl do not live happily ever after at all. In fact, due to some very unfortunate circumstances, boy decides that the life he is now confined to is no longer worth living. He ultimately decides that assisted suicide is the best alternative for him. As a fundamental Baptist, this concept was very hard for me to deal with (yes, even for a movie). I was so upset I didn't sleep much that night, I was angry and deeply disturbed. Furthermore, I vowed never to watch the movie again! Yet, then I did. I had to understand, I needed to force a new perspective. I tried imagining myself in his shoes (yes, still aware this is just a movie) but yet, it's not really, and that's what was really bothering me. This is a very real subject that has come up quite a bit lately in the healthcare world; which is why I chose to share this example. What if this was my dilemma; how would I handle this situation? It goes against my personal beliefs, nor is it something I would
Often times, one may find that the particular situation is not directly related to the exam or treatment at hand, but in fact, directly related to basic human rights such as, the right to privacy, dignity, or simply hearing the truth. Each healthcare individual comes from a unique background that may draw upon certain belief systems, values, morals, and principals that will tempt such an individual to make a decision or judge an individual, based upon such principals. However, separating personal ethics and morals, from laws and guidelines set by the healthcare system to protect the patient's rights should be strictly observed. Keeping this in mind, it is required of myself to remember these principals. There are rules and regulations that are set in place to protect the patient from such judgment. It has always been a personal goal of mine to treat each patient before me with compassion and dignity. This reminds and encourages me to make a professional effort for every patient regardless of gender or position, belief, and