Euthanasia and Care for the Dying in the Orthodox Tradition (IN: Ethical Dilemmas: Crises in Faith and Modern Medicine, edited by J T Chirban)

Asks the question: “What does it mean to care for the spiritual well-being of a loved one who is dying if that care does not regard the physical pain and dying which he/she is enduring?” This question is explored in terms of Orthodox Christian views on care for the dying. The author argues that a mature faith in the God of Jewish and Christian scriptures should provide persons of science and faith with the means to apply limits to life-saving interventions in medical practice while also enabling them to hold to absolute limits upon the taking of the lives of terminally ill persons. (4 refs)