Doctors who are atheist or agnostic are twice as likely to make decisions that could end the lives of their terminally ill patients, compared to doctors who are very religious, according to a new study in Britain.
what bollocks.
I’d like to study the research methodology on this one. The respondent % is very suspiciously high and it seems that the main question dealt with ‘the last terminal patient’, singular, in palliative care…if true, is this so bad in any case?
Doctors who described themselves as "extremely" or "very non-religious" were nearly twice as likely to report having made decisions like providing continuous deep sedation, which could accelerate a patient's death.Under circumstances where the patient is terminally ill and in pain, I can see no benefit in prolonging suffering. Rather provide the patient with relief. I can quite see why non-religious practitioners would be more inclined to follow this route.
I find this very hard to believe. Since becoming an atheist I have become MUCH more respectful of life - human life particularly. I would think that a doctor who believed in an afterlife would be more inclined to hasten death than one who knew that the event would not ‘improve’ a person’s life, but end it forever. The study, IMHO, must be cooked, or something, because I have found non-religious people, in general, to be MUCH more inclined to respect human life than the credulous wack-heads.
There are various reasons why religious people would be inclined to prolong life at all cost. They are opposed to euthanasia, because they regard it as “playing God”. Personally I have no problem with euthanasia under circumstances where a person’s quality of life has deteriorated to the extent that prolonging such life would amount to prolonged suffering without the hope of ever enjoying it again. There are also religious groups who regard suicide as a “sin”. If we have no qualms about ending the life of an animal in suffering, I fail to see why we should deny our own species that mercy.
I believe it. A non-religious doctor would be far more likely to treat his terminal patients with empathy and allow them to die (or even hasten their deaths) rather than prolong their agony. When we deal with animals this is called the ‘humane’ way. On the other hand, a religious doctor would be too afraid of committing what he believes is a ‘sin’ to have any compassion for the suffering his patients may be enduring. I always find it ironic that we treat animals ‘humanely’, but not humans.
i allso wonder if the woo-bunch keeps you alive for as long as possible, so they can pray for their souls, and more propably, pray them into a miracle of healing. people seriously think that by praying, god wil heal you. i wonder why they think that, i mean, its not like the healed thousands are abound in the streets, telling of their wonderful healing from the brink of death. or what?
I have mentioned previously on this forum that I work in a company where the woo is EVERYWHERE. So, about six months ago, one of my colleagues was told that she was fast on her way to being diagnosed with diabetes. (or she was diagnosed, but with not a very serious kind, or something, I know nothing about being a diabetic) She subsequently went on a rigorous diet excluding all no-go foods and stocking up on everything the doctor recommended. She also took a series of medications. She also prayed. When she went for her last check-up about a week ago, she came back to the office singing the praises of the lord who cured her from her diabetes. She made no mention of how cool modern medicine is.
My question is - what if the medicine did not work? what if her health deteriorated and she did turn out to be a full-blown diabetic? Would she have blamed the devil? Would she have justified it by saying that god was testing her or something, by making her ill? Seriously, WTF?! To me, it seems like the ‘woo-bunch’ as GCG so accurately describes them only follow their own rules when it suits them. Bah!
Yes I agree. It seems as if the woo-crowd have a second factor in making decisions regarding these things. Normal people consider all the practical factors but the woos have to also consider their faith issues. So pulling the plug on a hopeless case may be humane, but would also be a “sin” because of their religion. Makes sense.
There are so many cases of “miracles” of healing after taking appropriate meds that this also makes me want to throw up. I guess people WANT to see a miracle under every bush. Their faith clouds their judgement and closes their eyes to the everyday wonders of human achievement. So sad.
I wouldn’t be that surprised if the study is accurate. The problem with religious thinking is that it completely muddies the water when it comes to very difficult questions like euthanasia.
Two excellent links on this story…
Steven Novella’s take: http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=2254
Dr. Evan Harris’ take: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/aug/26/relevance-doctors-religion-atheist
Yup, the methodology is certainly problematic. As Steve also says, though, this is an interesting area of research, and hopefully more work will be done.
Btw. Have you guys read Atul Gawande’s magisterial New Yorker article about medical decision making at the end of life? I can’t recommend it enough. (Warning: get some tissues if you’re a sensitive type). Link: What Should Medicine Do When It Can’t Save You? | The New Yorker
This is of interest as I had a rather unsettling happening last year. I had been diagnosed, tested, prodded and found to have a completely calcified Aortic valve in my heart. After an angiogram to confirm their findings I was a week or two later being prepped by the anaesthetist who after inserting all the drips and feeds needed took my hand and suggested that we pray for the success of the operation and for god’s guidance for the medical team. He was horrified when I suggested that if he or any of the others in the medical team needed divine assistance I would appreciate that they withdraw and get those with the training, personal skills and experience needed to perform the operation to do so. He started to give me the belief story until he was told that I was serious and that he should call the other doctors so that we could weed out those who needed divine help. I can remember no more of this conversation so assume that he administered the first anaesthetic. In the days after the operation I was horrified at what I had done and wondered if I could have not maybe provoked a decision to not do the job in the man.
I assume that he will tell me that the success of the operation is down to his lord, I prefer to believe that I had the top team doing the work. If I like the doctor concerned had been into the woo I doubt if the skills displayed by the surgeon would have been appreciated. The fact that religion is allowed to be used by those in these positions must also interfere with family and caregivers making informed and logical decisions when it comes to the path forward for those who are suffering greatly and at the same time have no prospects of improvement.
This is VERY scary and I would’ve done the same thing…maybe before you’re on the op table! >:(
I have vivid visions of the medical team or members of the team stopping before administering some form of treatment to ask for divine guidance or when hitting a glitch …!! (wtf!!)
Brilliant. This made my day! I hope things all worked out and that science managed to get you fixed up? I am sorry that you were horrified at what you had done - I thought that was awesome!
There were a few brilliant members of the medical team. They took over nine hours to remove the calcified valve and replace it with the artificial one. I spent most of this time with my core body temperature greatly reduced and a machine doing the work of keeping enough oxygen in the blood it was pumping throughout my body. The cardiothoracic surgeon said that this was more complicated than heart transplant. I live on various nasty drugs to keep my blood from clotting in my body but have recovered and have the same life as before. I run up and down the three flights of stairs in our building numerous times a day with no apparent effects. I am thankful for the time that I was given to keep on living. A second chance cannot be wasted!!
‘Given’??? by whom? skilled medics or some spooky oke floating around the ether?
I would say “given” by medical science and qualified doctors.
Awesome story, can’t say I’d have the balls to say shit like that to the guy about to inject me with strong sedatives.