Treatment withdrawal, allow a natural death, passive euthanasia: a care-full choice of words

Abstract

Some of you may think that the words ‘euthanasia’ and ‘critical care’ should not be used in the same sentence. Some of you may go even further and think that those words should certainly not be written about in an Editorial and discussed in relation to critical care nursing practice. You see, there are certain words that will raise immediate and strong responses: death, dying and euthanasia being amongst these. And this Editorial will undoubtedly provoke reaction in some critical care nurses. This Editorial is not written to promote a particular view on the issue of euthanasia, nor offer persuasive arguments supporting either the ‘for’ or ‘against’ factions. The purpose of this piece is to make the case for careful and critical reflection on how we understand, practice and articulate endof-life nursing care in light of on-going discussions about euthanasia, and thoughtfully consider how patients and their families may understand that care.