Abstract
Aim-Background
Cancer patients at terminal stage, with no prospect of recovery, may commit suicide at any stage of the disease. With no hope of survival, these patients see euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide as the only way of relieving themselves of terminal illness symptoms, such as pain, dyspnoea, and depression. The dilemma that arises for devoted members of the church is immense, since it is at such a time that their faith and strength to comply with the gospel is seriously challenged. They are effectively being called upon to choose between life and death. The object of this paper is to show the Church’s position on euthanasia in terminal cancer patients.
Method
A review of the literature was made of relevant Greek and international articles. The search words that there were used for this purpose were: terminal cancer patients, church, euthanasia. Also questionnaires were completed by 350 cancer patients at different stages of their disease,(not only at terminal stage). These patients received radiotherapy treatment during the period 2010–2011.
Results
Seventy-six percent of patients were in favour of euthanasia but only at terminal disease stage, 15% of patients said they would most likely sanction it, 7% were against, and 2% did not respond. In the event that the patient was not in a position to give their consent, 62% of relatives would permit euthanasia. The difference presented by patients and their relatives (and from the bibliography) appears to be related to religious beliefs.
Conclusions
The Greek Orthodox Church prohibits suicide and euthanasia (physician assisted suicide). In Greece, both the medical and legal society have rejected the thought of legalizing euthanasia. Human care for the terminally ill is determined by the conscience and sensitivity of the doctors in attendance. The Greek Orthodox Church believes in euthanasia in the true sense of the word, and always prays for a peaceful and sanctified death granted by God and not man.
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Stylianidou, S. Terminal cancer patients and euthanasia — The church’s position. Hellenic J Surg 85, 105–108 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13126-013-0019-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13126-013-0019-3