Death studies
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This study examined differences in nurses' fear of death and level of comfort with patients having a poor prognosis for survival, as a function of the nurses' occupational level, work setting, and level of exposure to such patients. In addition, the relationship among the multidimensional aspects of fear of death and level of comfort with patients' poor prognosis was assessed. The sample included 312 professional and paraprofessional nurses who worked in hospitals and nursing homes. ⋯ Fear of death for significant others was found to differ significantly by work setting. Finally, a significant inverse relationship was found between comfort working with dying patients and overall fear of death. Suggestions for future research are presented.
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The thesis of this paper is that while allowing a person to die with care can be morally justified in particular cases, the option of mercy killing can never be morally defended. There is a significant moral difference between these two concepts. Furthermore, the wedge argument, the medical fallibility argument, and the medical care and trust argument provide cogent and convincing reasons for maintaining a legal distinction between mercy killing and letting a person die.