Euthanasia and Religion

Euthanasia, sometimes known as "mercy-killing," is the intentional ending of a patient's life by a physician, usually by lethal injection. Technically, "physician-assisted suicide" is different and refers to a physician providing a patient with the means for taking his or her own life.

Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are both illegal in most of the world, but both are legal in the Netherlands and in Colombia. In the United States, physician-assisted suicide is legal only in the state of Oregon. According to a May 2004 Gallup Poll, 53% of all Americans feel euthanasia is morally acceptable, while 41 percent believe it is wrong. {1}

But among those who attend religious services weekly, only 33% regarded euthanasia as morally acceptable. Among those who attend services "nearly weekly," 48% said euthanasia is morally acceptable. A 74-year-old man from Iowa commented, "Of course, I expect doctors to make patients as comfortable as possible, but only God can take away a life." {2}

Since religion concerns itself with issues of life, death, meaning and morality, it is not surprising that, for many people, religious beliefs are the main basis for their views of euthanasia. While there are certainly many other factors that contribute to one's position on euthanasia, such as concerns about the risk of abuse, compassion, pain control, legal freedom, etc., this section will focus almost entirely on the religious aspects of the issue.

The articles in this section do not attempt to provide any answers or opinions on the issues of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, but merely provide "the facts" about how these issues has been addressed by the world's major religions. After a brief introduction to the issue, including current statistics and poll information on euthanasia, the pages that follow describe the views of some major world religions on euthanasia, ordered alphabetically by religion.

• Facts and Statistics on Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide
• Euthanasia and Buddhism
• Euthanasia and Christianity
• Euthanasia and Hinduism
• Euthanasia and Judaism
• Books on Euthanasia

References

1. The Gallup Poll, "Public Grapples With Legality, Morality of Euthanasia," July 13, 2004. Online at Gallup.com. The same poll found 69% of Americans supported the legalization of euthanasia.
2. Ibid.