ethical situation

Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:22 am

so monday i was asked by a family member to kill his mother..WTH is wrong with people. he called me on the phone, i've never talked to him or seen him and he asked me to give his mother extra insulin to kill her...apparently i was supposed to steal insulin from another resident to give to her because he "thought it would help" (ya him) how insane is that? i calmly told him it was illegal and that if it "took" that i would be charged with homicide and would go to jail and lose my nursing license. then he adds" well i just thought it might be easier" again for him. then he says "well my boss is a young guy and he accidentally took too much insulin and his heart gave out and he died, so i thought maybe that would work for mom" I again told him how morally wrong it was and that it was illegal and then reported him to my DON, social services and the county case worker. seriously who asks a complete stranger to kill someone for them.????? and why dont people think about the fact of how it might affect the person that they are asking, i of course had tears in my eyes at work and went and spent time with his mom and held her hand and talked to her like it hadn't happened. how sad

deerewife · Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:33 am

that is truely sad. How sick is the mom? I realize that watching a loved one die is very very hard...but still.

MamaK321 · Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:52 am

:(wow. some people

PurpleGoddess · Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:26 am

Awwww hugs for you. You did the right thing. That must be so hard...That a total stranger puts you in a position like that....I guess some people can go a little bananas if they think someone they love is in pain....but I don't know the situation. And yes its a shock that someone feels the right to take away your humanity and imagines that you would automatically agree to their plan....sheesh!
Hang in there...

milmomma · Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:24 am

I don't claim to know this guy, but wtf. No matter how much you love someone that is never an answer. Ugh some people are truly crazy. You did the right thing. I'm sorry you had to go threw that though.

gonecamping · Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:38 am

wow...how awful! What a horrible situation all around. (((hugs)))

Kimandasmo · Sun Jan 31, 2010 8:55 am

truely sad..and I am glad you reported it.. I do not understand how some people can be so cold and cruel!

LyndaKay · Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:33 am

Stress and grief can make a person do and say some really crazy things. Sorry you had to be on the other end of it all.

letumom · Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:36 am

OMG! I can only imagine what you are going through. {{{{{HUGS}}}}}
I wonder if something else is motivating him; good for you for reporting it, just in case.

naney1952 · Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:06 am

Truly sad!:( I can't imagine someone asking someone to kill a family member! I'm sorry you had to be put in that situation {{{HUGS}}}

Grandma Flowers · Sun Jan 31, 2010 10:34 am

Oh, my gosh! Smart of you to report it. Maybe the guy's grieving for his ill mother, but still.

ncokely · Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:21 am

Glad you reported it!!!

MLee · Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:24 am

Just wow. I'm so sorry you had to deal with this. What an asshole.

Northern Brat · Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:28 am

How awful! I am so glad you reported it, and that you went to her and spent time with her. (((HUGS Wendy))))

writerlady · Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:21 pm

What a terrible story. I'm so sorry he involved you! Bless your heart for spending time with his mom.

bayouscrap · Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:29 pm

OMG! That is so wrong on so many levels! I'm so sorry you had to deal with that! I also feel sorry for that mom God only knows what would happen to her in her son's care!

You know you were there for a reason! You were her guardian and you protected her. Sad to say that there are some people who would have agreed to do that.

Nikki_E · Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:34 pm

ajkulig · Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:41 pm

Wow! That is just crazy, make sure you leave a good paper trail!

reelynn · Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:06 pm

Oh, I am so sorry you had to deal with that. That sure sounds like it would be stressful.

lilkoala3 · Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:54 pm

Just playing devil's advocate here...

How sick is his mother? Does she want to live or die? Obviously, it should be HER decision, not his. So do you think this was a selfish request on his part or do you think this is something she wants also?

I ask because my mother has told me repeatedly that if she gets to a certain point physically and mentally, she would want to die. She has told me that she wants me to pull the proverbial plug if she gets to a certain point. Of course, she's not asking me to actually KILL her, but if I'm at the point where a choice has to be made, she wants to die.

She's also told me that she doesn't want to suffer. Of course, assisted suicide is ILLEGAL, but I think that in some cases, it IS the moral/ethical thing to do.

I'm just saying that if my mother was suffering, and I know that she would want to die, I don't think I'd be above asking someone to do it.

Perhaps I'm naive, but I don't think very many people would want someone to kill their mother because it was just too much of an inconvenience for them to keep that person alive. If I'm wrong, and he is just a bad person, I find that unfathomable.

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