Belief in miracles and attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia

Death Stud. 2017 Apr;41(4):211-219. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2016.1241838. Epub 2016 Nov 22.

Abstract

Results of logistic regression analysis of data from the General Social Survey (N = 1,799) find that those who have a strong belief in miracles are more likely to say that a person with an incurable illness should not be allowed to accept medical treatments that painlessly hasten death than those who have a less strong belief in miracles or do not believe in miracles, net of respondents' religious affiliations, frequency of religious attendance, views of the Bible, and other sociodemographic controls. Results highlight the need to consider specific religious beliefs when predicting individuals' attitudes towards voluntary euthanasia.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attitude to Health*
  • Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Religion and Psychology*