Posted on 03/28/2005 3:52:07 PM PST by LauraJean
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2005
CONTACT: Joan Hurwitz, 301-628-5020 Cindy Price, 301-628-5038 Carol Cooke, 301-628-5027
American Nurses Association Statement on the Terri Schiavo Case Statement Attributed to Barbara A. Blakeney, MS, RN, President The Terri Schiavo case raises complex and emotional issues about the end of life. The American Nurses Association (ANA) recognizes the difficulty of the situation, however, ANA has consistently upheld the right of patients, or if the patient is incapacitated, the right of the designated surrogate, to decide whether to submit to or continue medical treatment.
As nurses, we are ethically bound to assist our patients in maintaining control over their lives and to help them preserve their dignity. The ANA believes that it is the responsibility of nurses to facilitate informed decision-making for patients and families who are making choices about end-of-life care. The Code of Ethics for Nurses specifically outlines the nurse's obligation to protect the patient's right to self-determination and the role of a designated surrogate in situations where the patient lacks capacity. In this case, Terri Schiavo's physicians, over many years, have declared her to be in a "persistent vegetative state." Furthermore, there is evidence that Terri Schiavo expressed her wishes not to have her life artificially maintained under such circumstances. ANA believes the Congress and the president have acted inappropriately in this case. It is unfortunate that Terri Schiavo has now become the symbol of so many political agendas.
The positive outcome from this case is that it raises the public's awareness of the importance of discussing end-of-life issues with family members and underscores how an advance directive, a living will and/or durable power of attorney for health care, clarifies and provides evidence of the wishes of an individual regarding end-of-life decisions. ANA encourages everyone to have an advance directive in place. Advance directives are controlled by state law and vary by state. A federal law, The Patient Self Determination Act of 1990, requires that most health care facilities provide patients with information about advance directives and ask patients about the existence of advance directives. Physicians, nurses, social workers and attorneys are often resource persons in the community who can provide information and guidance concerning advance directives.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Terri Schiavo. I recognize that this is an extremely difficult situation. I wish Terri Schiavo the dignity and peace she so deserves and that we would all wish for ourselves and our own loved ones at the end of life.
Sources: Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretative Statements, 2001 http://nursingworld.org/ethics/chcode.htm Ethics and Human Rights Position Statement: Nursing and the Patient Self-Determination Act, 1991 http://www.nursingworld.org/readroom/position/ethics/etsdet.htm
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The ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.7 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. # # #
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""End of life issues". The new name of the hemlock society. Why do I smell a rat?" ... Soros entered this issue years ago via the 'Death In America' forum. He has put millions into changing our Republic into what this particular nurse (the author of the 'letter') endorses now, without her fathoming the flaws in the judicial system that executed Terri Schindler (I don't recognize the Schiavo name for her since the scum that holds that name worked so hard to kill her while living another family life. May God have mercy upon us all if we do not stand against such wrong as it cascades upon us.
-President Thomas Jefferson
Lest we forget, the judiciary (that rubber stamptrooper platoon powerful enough to execute a disabled woman, for their own empowerment) is impartial, thus dehumanziing comes quite naturally to them.
"The care of human life and happiness, not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government."
-President Thomas Jefferson
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WHY can mankind never learn from history? We have patterned ourselves after the ancient Roman empire in every destructive way. God forgive us!
LOVE your Tagline!!!
Prov 8:36 "...all they that hate me love death."
Thank you ... it was begun in regards to the alive unborn, but it applies to human beings like Terri, also.
The Nightingale's aren't going to get me on that one. Ladies, Congress had a right to ask the idiot Judge Greer to review the facts. They didn't over step their bounds, nor were they playing politics.
I don't care how many values clarification classes these nut case nurses have attended, right is right and wrong is wrong. Outright murder by the courts is wrong. And that is what happened to Teri.
I definitely don't think that Congress (or Gov. Bush) overstepped their bounds, but I don't think they went far enough. According to both Federal and State Constitutions, Congress and the Governor are bound to protect innocent life. Terri didn't do anything to deserve being tortured to death for 2 weeks. She was an American and a Floridian and she deserved protection from her murderers.
We have already seen that government can step in to protect criminals, trumping both judge and jury. She was not a criminal, yet it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment to starve a murderer. You can also go to jail in this country for starving an animal. Regarding human life, the laws are still clearly on the side of life. It's just that the judges are refusing to obey the laws. We must not continue to allow them to ignore our laws and to play God.
Plus, Congress issued a subpoena for Michael Schiavo, Terri, and her parents to appear before them. Terri's parents promised to bring her. Yet, the judge ignored the subpoena and ordered her execution anyway. So, what happened to the subpoena? Wasn't Greer clearly impeding justice in this case? We should do everything possible to have the man disbarred and arrested as an accomplice to murder. But Congress should have insisted, at the time, that their subpoena be carried out.
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