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Christian Perspectives on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: The Anglican Tradition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Cynthia B. Cohen
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Extract

We have always had the ability to commit suicide or request euthanasia in times of serious illness. Yet these acts have been prohibited by the Christian tradition from early times. Some Christians, as they see relatives and friends kept alive too long and in poor condition through the use of current medical powers, however, are beginning to question that tradition. Are assisted suicide and euthanasia compassionate Christian responses to those in pain and suffering who face death? Or are they ways of isolating and abandoning them, of fleeing from Christian compassion, rather than expressing it?

The Committee on Medical Ethics of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington recently issued a report addressing assisted suicide and euthanasia. These matters cry out for religious contributions and perspectives, the Committee believes. The group recognizes that religious voices should not determine public policy, but believes they should be heard as we develop a social consensus about assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , Winter 1996 , pp. 369 - 379
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 1996

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