Faith & Medical Decisions

How major faith traditions approach critical medical decisions at end of life: DNR, artificial nutrition and hydration, palliative sedation, and hospice. Browse documented guidance by topic.

Not medical, legal, or religious advice. Educational only. Ask your own physician, faith leader, and legal advisor about your care. Each entry summarizes a tradition's documented guidance, labeled by evidence strength and sourced. It is not a clinical protocol and does not speak for every member of a tradition; beliefs vary. Frameworks never override a patient's voiced wishes, advance directive, or legal health care proxy. Always ask the patient directly.

How to use this: Select a clinical topic below, then expand any tradition for detailed guidance, sources, and caveats. Use this as a conversation starter with patients, families, and faith leaders, not as a definitive answer.

Evidence strength:

PRIMARY SOURCEPEER-REVIEWEDEXPERT CONSENSUSEMERGING EVIDENCENOT SOURCED

Do Not Resuscitate / Withdrawal of Life Support

Print bedside reference cards (all traditions, with sources)

Quick Reference Table

A summary view. Expand individual traditions above for full context, caveats, and sources.

Tradition	DNR	ANH	Palliative Sedation	Hospice
Roman Catholicism	Permissible PRIMARY SOURCE	Generally obligatory with exceptions PRIMARY SOURCE	Accepted under double effect PRIMARY SOURCE	Embraced PRIMARY SOURCE
Protestant Christianity	Generally supported EXPERT CONSENSUS	Withdrawal generally permissible EXPERT CONSENSUS	Supported for symptom relief EXPERT CONSENSUS	Broadly supported EXPERT CONSENSUS
Islam (Sunni & Shia)	Permissible when treatment is futile EXPERT CONSENSUS	Contested, but generally maintained EXPERT CONSENSUS	Permissible for symptom relief EXPERT CONSENSUS	Generally accepted EXPERT CONSENSUS
Judaism	Movement-dependent EXPERT CONSENSUS	Varies by movement EXPERT CONSENSUS	Generally acceptable for comfort EXPERT CONSENSUS	Widely accepted EXPERT CONSENSUS
Hinduism	Generally acceptable EMERGING EVIDENCE	No strict prohibition against withdrawal EMERGING EVIDENCE	Tension between comfort and consciousness EMERGING EVIDENCE	Increasing acceptance EMERGING EVIDENCE
Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan)	No obligation to preserve life at all costs EXPERT CONSENSUS	Withdrawal generally acceptable EXPERT CONSENSUS	Tension exists EXPERT CONSENSUS	Generally accepted EXPERT CONSENSUS
Sikhism	Individualized: no single Sikh ruling EMERGING EVIDENCE	Individualized: no single Sikh ruling EMERGING EVIDENCE	Limited literature. Discuss awareness at death EMERGING EVIDENCE	Individualized: familiarity varies EMERGING EVIDENCE
Indigenous / Native American Traditions	Communal decision-making EMERGING EVIDENCE	Tribe-specific: always ask EMERGING EVIDENCE	Varies by tradition EMERGING EVIDENCE	Low use reported; ask about preferences EMERGING EVIDENCE
Secular / Non-Religious	Individual autonomy emphasized PRIMARY SOURCE	Patient choice PRIMARY SOURCE	Full acceptance PRIMARY SOURCE	Full acceptance PRIMARY SOURCE
Jehovah's Witnesses *	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED
Orthodox Christianity *	One secondary source on life support EMERGING EVIDENCE	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED
Latter-day Saints *	One secondary source on treatment cessation EMERGING EVIDENCE	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED
Baháʼí Faith *	One expert opinion on medical advice EMERGING EVIDENCE	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED	No position stated here NOT SOURCED
Multi-faith and Interfaith Perspectives	Negotiate shared values EXPERT CONSENSUS	Family-centered decision process EXPERT CONSENSUS	Patient preference guides EXPERT CONSENSUS	Generally accepted across traditions EXPERT CONSENSUS

* Citation review pending: this tradition's guide carries sources still in editorial review; treat its positions as provisional.

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Clinical evidence for why spiritual care matters

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Deeper profiles of each tradition's practices and beliefs

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Tradition-specific summaries link to denominational or scholarly sources and describe documented patterns, never a person's beliefs. Review status and unresolved limits are documented in the methodology. Corrections welcome via Get Involved. Last updated: 2026-10-13.

This matrix is for educational and conversation-starting purposes only, not a clinical protocol. Ask the patient, their family, their faith leader, and the care team.

Faith & Medical Decisions

Roman Catholicism

Protestant Christianity

Islam (Sunni & Shia)

Judaism

Hinduism

Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana, Tibetan)

Sikhism

Indigenous / Native American Traditions

Secular / Non-Religious

Jehovah's Witnesses *

Orthodox Christianity *

Latter-day Saints *

Baháʼí Faith *

Multi-faith and Interfaith Perspectives

Quick Reference Table