The Assisted Suicide debate - no easy answer
Watch the debate
This debate on issues surrounding assisted suicide brought up viewpoints as diverse as the RCN membership. The fringe event saw nurses draw from their extensive professional expertise and very personal experiences of end of life care, as part of the RCN consultation that runs until 22 May.
Some members felt that helping someone to die goes against the caring nature of the nursing profession. Pat Cocker said: "We are nurses, not killers. We nurse, we love, we empathise." Others felt that sometimes it is more caring to end suffering.
Prof Paul Wainwright from the RCN Ethics Forum highlighted the emotional burden that would be placed on the person involved in assisting suicide. However, Prof Carol Haigh from Manchester Metropolitan University said: "Not helping someone to die can have an equally devastating emotional effect."
Vicky Robinson, Nurse Consultant in palliative care, believes that we should instead be focusing on supplying quality end of life care for all.
UK Learning Representatives committee member Elizabeth Rees was concerned that nurses may be discriminated against because of their views.
The panel called for detailed and balanced research into the implementation of assisted suicide and euthanasia in other countries and its effect on nurses.
What are your views? Visit www.rcn.org.uk/assistedsuicide to make a response to the consultation.