Research suggests that liberal Protestants, Jews, and those
with no religious affiliation are generally supportive of physician-assisted
suicide, while conservative Protestants and Catholics tend to
exhibit the greatest opposition. In this recent study published
in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Amy M.
Burdette, Terrence D. Hill, and Benjamin E. Moulton assess religious
differences in attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide and
terminal palliative care. Their research also indicates that
conservative Protestants and Catholics are generally opposed
to the termination of treatment in the event of an incurable
disease.
Although the relationships between religion and general suicide
ideology and suicide behavior are well established, less is
known about the association between religion and attitudes toward
physician-assisted suicide and other end-of-life issues. While
some studies incorporate measures of religiosity in predicting
attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide, few provide any
notable explanations for religious differences.
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The article begins on page 79 of Journal for the Scientific
Study of Religion 44 (1).
The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, the quarterly
publication of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion,
has published provocative research for over forty years. Drawing
on a rich interdisciplinary cross-section of scholarship - including
religion, sociology, political science, and psychology - the
journal offers perspectives on national and international issues
such as brainwashing and cults, religious persecution, and right
wing authoritarianism.
