![]() The problem occurs for patients who no longer wish to live through their terminal illness. Under that choice, hospice should attempt to provide maximal relief from symptoms combined with the highest achievable quality of life. For patients who do not want to hasten their death, these policies are appropriate. ![]() Also see their position statement on palliative sedation therapies in Ref. The policies and procedures outlined by the NHPCO are based on the principle that no healthcare worker will engage in an activity that deliberately hastens death (for more information on the NHPCO policies prohibiting practices that hasten death, see their position statement on physicianassisted suicide. Unwarranted prohibitions on hastening death We will show how including VSED, CSD upon request, and PAS (where legal) as part of the official NHPCO guidelines will better serve the needs of dying patients by expanding options that are both morally sound and reasonable. We then show how these policies can be broadened to include three practices that would allow for hastening death, namely, voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED), continuous sedation until death (CSD) upon request, and physician-assisted suicide (PAS). In order to support this thesis, we provide an overview of current policies/practices of the NHPCO. ![]() Broadening such policies would be more consistent with the gold standard of bioethical principles, ie, respecting the autonomy of competent adults. We argue that under some circumstances, namely, those patients who have a terminal illness and whose life expectancy is less than six months, it is both reasonable and morally sound to allow for treatments that may deliberately hasten death these treatments should be part of the NHPCO guidelines. We find these policies overly restrictive and unreasonable. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) upholds policies prohibiting practices that deliberately hasten death.
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