- Religious Perspectives on Bioethics, Part 2
This is Part Two of a two part Scope Note on Religious Perspectives on Bioethics. Part One was published in the June 1994 issue of this Journal. This Scope Note has been arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the religious tradition.
Contents for Parts 1 and 2 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Part 1 | |||
I. | General | VI. | Hinduism |
II. | African Religious Traditions | VII. | Islam |
III. | Bahá'í Faith | VIII. | Jainism |
IV. | Buddhism and Confucianism | IX. | Judaism |
V. | Eastern Orthodoxy | ||
Part 2 | |||
I. | Native American Religious | Christian Scientist | |
Traditions | Episcopal/Anglican | ||
II. | Protestantism | Evangelical | |
General | Jehovah's Witness | ||
Anabaptist (Church of the | Lutheran | ||
Brethren, Friends Society | Methodist/Wesleyan | ||
(Quaker), and Mennonite/ | Nazarene | ||
Amish/Hutterite) | Presbyterian/Reformed | ||
Assemblies of God | Seventh-day Adventist | ||
Baptist | Unitarian Universalist | ||
Church of Jesus Christ of the | United Church of Christ | ||
Latter-day Saints | III. | Roman Catholicism | |
Christian Church (Disciples of | |||
Christ) | [End Page 357] |
Introduction
The many religions of the world bring diverse, and occasionally divergent attitudes to bioethical issues. These beliefs may guide patients and health care professionals as they seek or provide health care. In an attempt to facilitate understanding of and access to information about these beliefs in our pluralistic and global society, this Scope Note identifies literature by the world's major religious groups on topics relating to bioethics.
Topics covered by this Scope Note include general attitudes to health and health care, the physician-patient relationship, treatment refusal, abortion, contraception, sterilization, reproductive technologies, genetics, mental health, human experimentation, organ transplantation and donation, death, euthanasia, suicide, and prolongation of life. Material was not available on all of these topics for each religion.
The literature gathered here represents only a small portion of the available writing on religion and medicine for these faith traditions in the United States, and is limited to that which comments explicitly on bioethical issues. Some faiths have a rich tradition of writing on bioethics, for others the literature is more limited. Variation in coverage is not intended to indicate the relative importance of a faith but reflects accessibility and space constraints. Individuals interested in obtaining additional information are encouraged to contact the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature.
It is important to remember that doctrinal and theological differences exist even within the same denomination and that views of individual patients, family members, and health care providers should be sought.