Responding to Requests for Aid-in-Dying: Rethinking the Role of Conscience

Abstract

Mary, an artist residing in Vermont, was a single woman in her 60s with a long-term cancer diagnosis. Determined to live as fully as she could in whatever time she had left, Mary rarely complained about her illness. She adjusted her lifestyle over the years to accommodate her symptoms and accepted her limitations. She was fortunate to have a support network of close friends who cared for her actively throughout her illness. After many years of surgeries and treatments, however, her quality of life began to diminish. Once active and energetic, Mary was no longer able to read, hike, and enjoy her creative pursuits as she had in the past, and she spent much of the day sleeping.Mary had been an advocate for Vermont's "Patient Choice and Control at End of Life" Act (Act

Medical aid in dying: The role of the nurse practitioner

“…Historically, MAID laws required patients to be a legal resident of the state where services were provided, but recent legislative changes in Oregon and Vermont have removed that requirement, expanding access to MAID to nonresidents as well (Span, 2023). For NPs who are uninterested in or opposed to engaging with MAID, the choice to opt out of providing services is a legally protected option (Brassfield et al, 2019). After the legalization of MAID in Canada, many physicians who supported the legislation reported conscientious objection to participating in the practice.…”