Religious Faith Influences Doctors' Practice of Euthanasia

Non-religious doctors more likely to favor euthanasia than those with religious principles
On "E.R.," one of network television's highest rated shows, doctors regularly go to heroic lengths to save the lives of their dying patients. Oddly enough, many real life doctors are now taking great pains to help their patients die. In fact, a recent study from Australia -- where euthanasia is illegal -- found that one-fourth of all doctors took active steps to hasten patients' deaths. Furthermore, doctors who termed themselves atheists or agnostics were most likely to purposely bring on a patient's death at a patient's request.

Actively expediting the death of a patient-- not just withholding or stopping life-sustaining treatment- was undertaken 62% more often by physicians who said they had no religious faith in this recent survey of more than 1,200 randomly selected physicians.

"Of all medical practitioners who had been asked to do so, more than one-quarter acknowledged that they had taken steps to hasten death," the researchers from the University of New South Wales commented. "Those doctors claiming to be agnostic or atheist were more likely to favour and to practice euthanasia and those who identified with any religion were more likely to be opposed."

Agnostics and atheists were more than twice as likely to know of other doctors who practiced active euthanasia, despite the illegal status, and were more than three times more likely to think actively hastening a patient's death was "sometimes right" than those doctors who claimed some religious affiliation.

Views of doctors from varying religions were then analyzed separately to see how their views might differ. The study found Jewish physicians "sympathetic almost to the same degree" as the agnostic and atheist doctors. Catholic doctors were most opposed, while Protestants fell midway between. Studies in the U.S. similarly found Catholics most opposed to active euthanasia.

What formed the basis of the doctors decisions? Physicians who thought actively hurrying the patientsÌ death was sometimes right based their views on non-religious ethical principals 736 of the time, the study found. Doctors who thought administering doses for death was never right based their views on religious principles 736 of the time.

Still, despite specific teachings of most established religions opposing euthanasia and suicide, almost a quarter of doctors with a religious affiliation had also engaged in it, including 18% of Catholics.

Because the study only measured religious affiliation and not strength of commitment, "views may have differed among physicians who were actively involved in their religion compared to those who were not--a question for future research," noted Dr. David Larson, president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research (NIHR).

Reference: Baume, Peter, O'Malley, Emma, and Bauman, Adrian. (1995). "Professed Religious Affiliation and the Practice of Euthanasia." Journal of Medical Ethics. 21: 49-54.