Aid in Dying and Faith: What Different Traditions Teach

Faith shapes how many people think about the end of life, whether they hold a tradition’s teaching, push against it, or sit somewhere in between. This guide summarizes the documented positions of several major American traditions on medical aid in dying (MAID), assisted suicide, and euthanasia. It has not been reviewed by faith leaders, it is not a substitute for talking to your own, and traditions are not monoliths. For the practice itself, see what is medical aid in dying.

A distinction almost every tradition makes

Many traditions that oppose assisted suicide and euthanasia also teach that a dying person doesn’t have to accept every possible treatment. The Catholic Catechism, for example, says discontinuing burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate medical procedures can be legitimate, because one does not will to cause death. Latter-day Saint, Lutheran, Southern Baptist, United Methodist, Seventh-day Adventist, Presbyterian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist sources in Pew’s report draw a similar line between allowing death and causing it. Where traditions differ is mainly on whether, and how, that line applies to particular cases.

Christianity

• Catholic. The Church opposes euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. The Catechism states that direct euthanasia is morally unacceptable, and the Vatican’s 2020 Samaritanus Bonus states the teaching again, including that formal or immediate cooperation must be excluded even where such practices are legal. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2011 statement says Catholic teaching views suicide as a grave offense but also recognizes that grave psychological disturbances can diminish responsibility, and encourages prayer for those who die by suicide, trusting God’s mercy. Catholic teaching accepts refusing disproportionate treatment and allows pain relief even if it may hasten death, so long as the intent is to relieve pain
• Latter-day Saints. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opposes physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia as against God’s commandments, while stating that allowing a person to die naturally, as by removing life support, isn’t euthanasia and that families shouldn’t feel obligated to extend life by unreasonable means
• Episcopal Church. A 1991 General Convention resolution opposed assisted suicide and active euthanasia, calling it morally wrong and unacceptable to take a human life to relieve suffering from incurable illness. A seminary ethicist told Pew there is also a sense that rigid rules may not fit every circumstance
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Its 1992 statement “End of Life Decisions” opposes the legalization of physician-assisted death, while no one need take extraordinary steps to prolong dying
• Southern Baptist Convention. Resolutions in 1992 and 1996 oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide, while recognizing there is an appropriate time to stop certain treatments, though the SBC generally opposes actions that hasten death, including stopping food and water
• United Methodist Church. The church opposes euthanasia, saying there is a difference between not needlessly extending the dying process and accelerating it
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It hasn’t adopted a specific position, though broader teaching would imply opposition; a bioethicist told Pew that Presbyterians don’t categorically rule it out and put the burden of proof on those in favor
• Seventh-day Adventist. A 1992 statement opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide, while saying patients aren’t obligated to accept interventions whose burdens outweigh the probable benefits
• Assemblies of God opposes it, teaching that only God should determine when life ends. The National Baptist Convention has no specific teaching, but broader teaching opposes ending life prematurely
• United Church of Christ. It supports the right of terminally ill patients to make their own decisions about when to die, including whether to hasten death, as a matter of individual conscience. This is a supportive position

See Christian funeral traditions and Catholic funeral traditions.

Judaism

Under Jewish law, according to a Jewish Theological Seminary bioethicist quoted by Pew, the directive to preserve life generally outweighs other considerations, including relieving pain and suffering. A person’s life is seen as belonging to God, so deciding when it ends is left to God. Doctors and caregivers should not hasten death, though most thinkers distinguish between killing and allowing to die, so stopping life-prolonging treatment for a dying person in some cases can be permitted. Views vary among Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements, and we did not review each.

Islam

Islamic teachings oppose physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia because life is sacred and comes from God, according to a Cornell University scholar quoted by Pew. Islamic thinkers also generally hold that the terminally ill need not use extraordinary means to delay death, which they describe as the difference between a conscious decision to end life and life ending by itself. See Muslim funeral traditions.

Buddhism

A scholar of Buddhist ethics told Pew that Buddhists generally oppose assisted suicide and euthanasia because it is wrong to destroy human life, including one’s own, even to end suffering. But life need not be preserved at all costs, and a terminally ill person could refuse futile or unduly burdensome treatment; the key is that there is no intention to take life. Buddhist traditions vary. See Buddhist funeral traditions.

Hinduism

According to a scholar quoted by Pew, there is no formal Hindu teaching on assisted suicide or euthanasia, but there is a general concern that ending a life prematurely could affect one’s karma. See Hindu end-of-life decisions.

Unitarian Universalism

The Unitarian Universalist Association passed a 1988 resolution advocating “the right to self-determination in dying.” Pew reports that, as a result, the church supports laws like those in Oregon and Vermont that let terminally ill patients, under carefully defined circumstances, seek physician assistance in hastening death, grounded in the integrity of individual conscience. This is a supportive position.

What if my beliefs and my loved one’s conflict?

This is common, and it can hurt. A few thoughts:

• Talk to a leader you trust, such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, imam, chaplain, or teacher. Many have walked families through this and can help you hold your faith and your love for the person together
• A hospital or hospice chaplain can listen without judgment, whatever your tradition
• Families that differ across faiths may find help in interfaith family disagreement and mediation
• If you are grieving, the care and rituals of your tradition may still be available. Ask your leader about funeral rites and support

What this page can’t tell you

Pew’s report is from 2013, and many statements it cites are older. Traditions also contain many viewpoints, individual leaders differ, and some groups aren’t covered here. Check your own tradition’s current statements and speak with its leaders.

This is a summary of documented positions, not religious guidance. Please speak with leaders of your own tradition. For crisis support, call or text 988.