RSSdwd & religion
Religious Groups and Their Positions on Death with Dignity
Beliefs concerning what is permissible at the end of life are shaped in part, by religious values. For this reason, we have compiled a list of several denominations' positions on the issue of hastened dying.
Simplified versions of these positions are listed below.
Baptist: Assisted dying violates the sanctity of human life.
Catholic: The killing of a human being, even by an act of omission to eliminate suffering, violates divine law and offends the dignity of the human person.
Christian Science: The Church's experience with healing indicates assisted suicide is not a genuine expression of faith and is a denial of God's presence and power.
Disciples of Christ: The customary reasons for assisted dying, suffering and irreversible conditions, are nullified by the biblical witness to meaningful suffering and to possible healing.
Eastern Orthodox: Physician assisted dying is morally and theologically impermissible because of God's sovereignty and the sanctity of human life.
Episcopal: Some Episcopalians believe it is morally wrong to take human life with medication to relieve suffering caused by incurable illness. Others approve of assisted dying in rare cases.
Islam: Assisted dying is forbidden. Physicians must not take active measures to terminate a patient's life.
Jehovah's Witness: Physician assisted dying violates the sanctity of life and Christian conscience.
Judaism: Orthodox Jews believe that active steps by a physician to hasten death violate the sanctity of human life. Conservative and Reform leaders have called for increased discussion of end-of-life issues but not issued official positions on assisted dying.
Lutheran: Assisted dying destroys life created in the image of God and is contrary to Christian conscience and stewardship of life.
Methodist: Methodists generally accept the individual's freedom of conscience to determine the means and timing of death. Some regional conferences have endorsed the legalization of physician assisted dying.
Mormon: Any person who participates in the death of a person suffering from incurable conditions or disease violates the commandments of God.
Presbyterian: Some adhere to an ecclesiastical deference to a person's own choices about the timing and method of dying. Others believe life should not be taken by a patient.
Unitarian Universalist: The right to self-determination includes the choice of hastened dying. Unitarians support immunity from prosecution for those who, with proper safeguards, honor the requests of terminally ill patients.
United Church of Christ: The Church affirms individual freedom and responsibility. It has not asserted that hastened dying is the Christian position, but the right to choose is a legitimate Christian decision.
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For more than 14 years, the Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC), a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Leaders in our organization originally wrote and have continued advocating for the Oregon Death with Dignity Law. DDNC has met these challenges through extensive legal defense of the Oregon law, education and outreach programs, and by developing and nurturing diverse financial resources with one goal in mind: to ensure DDNC's financial vitality and its position as a leader in the death with dignity movement.
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Political Action Fund
The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund (the Fund) to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states. The partnership resulted in tremendous success with the resounding win in the 2008 Washington Death with Dignity campaign.
Learn more about the Fund's efforts to bring dignity to people around the nation.
About Death with Dignity
The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. The most common desire among those with a terminal illness is to die with some measure of dignity. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.
Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC) is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon Death with Dignity Act -- a national catalyst for openly discussing and actively reforming end-of-life care for those who are terminally ill.
Learn more about the National Center and our family of organizations.
Patients & Families
The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. Based on this commitment, we are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.
Research Center
We have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.
In our Research Center you will find frequently asked questions, the history of the death with dignity movement, state monitoring statistics, and a copy of this groundbreaking statute.
