My preconceived thoughts about dying with dignity include, terminally ill patients having the choice of when they want and how they’ll end their life. I knew that only certain states allowed for this to happen and that there was a long process that people needed to go through. I knew some information on this topic because freshman year I took an ethics class and we talked about this but at that time I believe it was still a newer topic and only a few states had laws on this. 

            I think that having this as a choice especially for those with terminal illnesses is important because this is a choice that these people get to make, they are taking back a part of their lives when they may feel as if everything around them is falling apart. Many people won’t use the medication or end their lives but having that choice, that option is important. I think with being a nurse and the ethical principles that it challenges is hard to consider, the main aspect of being a nurse is to do no harm, nonmaleficence. We are supposed to be helping people and making them better and with death with dignity it can look like we aren’t trying, that it’s an easy way out. Helping people is an important aspect of what nursing is, and if in some way we can help these people with terminal illnesses feel better and have a choice in what they want their lives to look like then I believe that we are helping these patients, we’re making their lives just a little bit better