American Nurses Association Statement on the Terri Schiavo Case

American Nurses Association press release ^ | March 23, 2005 | Barbara B. Blakeney

[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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[Happygal]

I think the nurses association would have been better served by saying nothing at all in this case, rather than engaging in the 'politicising' they seem to condemn.

[John Valentine]

"Furthermore, there is evidence that Terri Schiavo expressed her wishes not to have her life artificially maintained under such circumstances."

It remains a complete mystery how eating and drinking have now been morphed into "artificial" life support.

Eating and drinking are natural functions, and sometimes disable people need help with them - and this is a help that we are morally and legally obliged to provide.

Withholding food and water goes far beyond removal of "artificial life support" such as respirators, aartificial kidneys, or heartbeat maintenance devices, and cannot be equated with such actions in any sense whatever.

Terri Schiavo's life was not ending, and it was not being artifically prolonged.

Terri's life is being ended as an act of murderous will.

[Servant of the 9]

Thank goodness someone still has some common sense.

So9

[Enterprise]

"Today's nurses are not all angels that Barry Sadler sang about in 1965. "

I'm just going to take a little blood sweetie. Later, someone is going to draw some for the hospital.

[MainFrame65]

Keep in mind that her whormongering spouse is a nurse. I don't know if he is a member of this rump organization or not, but this bears all the earmarks of a "white wall of silence."

I think it is about as credible as George's pronouncements - Felos or Greer, take your pick.

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

"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."

My wife is an RN. She abhors the bureaucratic bullsh*t and people getting paid to work out these type of communications.
That said, this is precisely what I would have expected them to say. Why didn't they mention that there is also evidence that Terri would want to continue living. Furthermore, I doubt most people would agree that giving tube feedings is being "artificially maintained". Man's Death March marches on. And to think we sometimes read soul-searching treatises and studies about why our adolescents are committing suicide in ever increasing numbers!!! Go figure folks. This organization is sick.

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

No its worse than that. I know that type of bullsh*t is hard to read, BUT if you read closely, they are wholeheartedly concurring with the starvation and manage to get in a dig at the Pres. and Congress if I read right.

[Aliska]

What I can't figure out is how a local hospital has bought two corner properties, cleared off the houses, and put up signs that light up at night with the hospital name on it, not to mention expensive landscaping.

It seems they are spending an awful lot of money on things that are totally unnecessary. Where is it coming from?

[nutmeg]

ping

[Aliska]

I should have mentioned that the corner properties are two blocks away. There is a third property that has been cleared and a tree planted. I wonder who owns that and what they are saving it for.

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

Prices are out of control all over in the medical field. By closely watching the bills for my wife's hospitalization for two days and callling them on the coublecharges and what not, I had over $1000 taken from our bill. And that was over 10 years ago.

[Aliska]

I can't read all that bs. I don't have a real good opinion of most nurses; there are exceptions. They have to check their personal morality at the door when they go to work and have become hardened by what they deal with on a daily basis.

[KDubRN]

Is the ANA to nurses what the ALA is to librarians -- A liberal mouthpiece that doesn't necessarily reflect the views of its members?

yes

[JACKRUSSELL]

You asked "Is the ANA to nurses what the ALA is to librarians -- A liberal mouthpiece that doesn't necessarily reflect the views of its members?"

In one word, yes.

[SolomoninSouthDakota]

But not my wife! :}
She's still a doll. She left a hospice job when they no longer fullfilled their promise of n"not doing anything to hasten death." And I was very proud of her and if the nurses in Fl would have half the sense of her, we wouldn't be in this mess. They wouldn't have a nursing staff and the admin. type are too lazy to keep doing any amount of real caring work.Yes, I'm a little off track and tooting my wife's horn--so be it.

[Aliska]

I had over $1000 taken from our bill.

Doesn't surprise me. You have to watch every bill carefully. I recently had a hard drive (ordered on the internet) put in my computer by a local shop and a lot of other stuff done. I called ahead and asked what the bill would be and when I went to pick it up and pay, they had added over $100. I asked why since they said on the phone (can't remember exact amount) and they said you had a hard drive put in. I said I brought in my own hard drive, and they deducted it. For all the stuff I had done, I might have paid without blinking, but what was done they didn't have to monitor constantly (transfer of date).

My sister and her husband had a lot of electrical work done, and my brother-in-law went over the bill and they tried to overcharge them $2000.

Back to the subject at hand. I heard this discussed on talk radio locally, and it was claimed that it is a common practice to overbill people with insurance to cover the non-paying patients. Add that to a lot of people aren't feeling all that well and may not look at their bills too carefully.

[k omalley]

I have been an RN for 35 years and have never belonged to this organization. Most of the nurses doing the backbreaking stressful work in hospitals don't belong either. They don't speak for most of the nursing profession, but only for the minority who belong to this group.

[Aliska]

Toot away. Sounds justified.

[nmh]

Whew!

You're not kidding!

Just awful.