There is evidence from outside the UK to show that physicians’ religious beliefs influence their decision making at the end of life. This UK study explores the belief system of consultants, nurse key workers & specialist registrars & their attitudes to decisions which commonly must be taken when caring for individuals who are dying. Results showed that consultants’ religion & belief systems differed from those of nurses & the population they served. Consultants & nurses had statistically significant differences in their attitudes to common end of life decisions with consultants more likely to continue hydration & not withdraw treatment. Nurses were more sympathetic to the idea of PAS for unbearable suffering. This study shows the variability in belief system and attitudes to end of life decision making both within and between clinical groups. The personal belief system of consultants was not shown to affect their overall attitudes to withdrawing life-sustaining treatment or PAS.
In de liturgisch-pastorale praktijk wordt men geconfronteerd met de vraag in hoeverre sacramentenbediening en kerkelijke uitvaartplechtigheden mogelijk zijn in geval van euthanasie en suïcide. Deze vragen hebben niet alleen betrekking op degene die zelf om euthanasie vraagt of op wie suïcide pleegt, maar ook op omstaanders die hebben ingestemd, resp. medewerking verleend. De Nederlandse bisschoppen hebben in oktober 2005 de brochure "Pastoraat rond het verzoek om euthanasie of hulp bij suïcide. Een handreiking voor studie en bezinning" uitgegeven. Daarin geven zij naast een aantal overwegingen bijgaande liturgisch-pastorale richtlijnen.
A judge has ordered that doctors can switch off a young boy's life-support system even though his devout Christian parents pleaded for him to be kept alive in case of a miracle.
Terminally ill children are subjected to needless suffering amounting to 'torture' by parents who refuse to allow the withdrawal of treatment because of their religious beliefs, leading doctors have claimed.