End-of-life: the traditional Christian view

As a consequence, physicians treating Christians should develop an understanding of their own commitments and of how the special spiritual needs of their patients could cause conflicts with the physician's values during treatment. They should develop an adequate understanding of patients'...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Lancet (British edition) 2005-09, Vol.366 (9490), p.1045-1049
Main Authors: Tristram Engelhardt, H, Smith Iltis, Ana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioethics
Christian life
Christianity
Christians, Attitudes
Death
Death, Religious aspects
Euthanasia, Passive
Health care
Humans
Life Support Care
Medical care
Protestantism
Religious orthodoxy
Spirituality
Suicide, Assisted
Terminal Care
Theology
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Summary:As a consequence, physicians treating Christians should develop an understanding of their own commitments and of how the special spiritual needs of their patients could cause conflicts with the physician's values during treatment. They should develop an adequate understanding of patients' Christian values, so as to appreciate that a patient's desire to extend life to make peace with God is not futile care and that respecting a patient's decision to terminate treatment that has become a spiritually burdensome pursuit of earthly life can be appropriate. As a consequence, it can be appropriate for patients with the same medical condition and the same prognosis to use technology differently because of their different spiritual needs. Finally, caregivers will need to recognise that, although patients may decline or withdraw spiritually burdensome treatment as well as request appropriate pain control, traditional Christians may not directly intend death. Physicians who anticipate conflicts between their own commitments and the requests of their patients (or their patients' families) should discuss with a chaplain or minister of the patient's religion the nature of the conflict, and should discuss with the patient or family about transferral of care to a physician who will not experience such conflicts.
ISSN:0140-6736
1474-547X
DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67383-7