Journal of Palliative Care & Medicine
Open Access

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: Euthanasia is a desire to ease the suffering of the patient suffering from pain due to terminal illness and incurable. On the one hand, opponents of euthanasia argue that the value of the sanctity of life is a supreme value, which is also anchored in the basic law in Israel. Those who hold this position claim that if euthanasia is approved under certain circumstances, this will lead to a devaluation of the sanctity of life, to the extent that the death is allowed even in less obvious cases. On the other hand, advocates of euthanasia argue that the right of a person to die with dignity, the human right to autonomy over his body, and his right not to suffer should be preferred. No studies have examined the relationship between religiosity and the degree of support for euthanasia. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore if people with an affinity to religion more opposed to euthanasia. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A socio- demographic questionnaire and a questionnaire that examined the degree of religiosity, opinions and attitudes regarding euthanasia included 33 items and were divided to 228 people from the religious and secular sectors. Findings: 74.2% of the study participants belonged to the secular sector, 25.8 % to the religious. The greater the degree of religiosity, the smaller the support for euthanasia. In addition, there was a negative correlation between religiosity and all types of euthanasia support (p<0.001). Conclusion & Significance: The issue of euthanasia is a sensitive and controversial issue, and religion has an impact on it. Medical staff should recognize the different points of view increase cultural sensitivity using variety of tools and methods of treatment in order to contribute to the patient's and his family's satisfaction with the end-of-life.

Biography

Keren Grinberg is a lecture in the Ruppin Academic Center, Department of Nursing, Israel. Her expertise follows in the research domains: Children's health/ Inequality between subgroups consumption of health services / health promotion, Pain syndromes in women and women's health, Palliative care, Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) of pain. In addition, she has experience in the study of nursing education.