Doctors and God

Doctors who believe in God tend not to play God. According to a new British study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics doctors who are atheists or agnostics are almost twice as likely to make decisions that they think will quickly end the lives of terminally ill patients. Doctors with religious beliefs were twice as likely to talk with patients about life-ending decisions.

The study surveyed 8,500 British doctors, 42% of which responded. It was interesting to note that white doctors, the largest ethnic group to complete the survey, were less like than any other group to label themselves as deeply religious.

The British Medical Association said that regardless of religious beliefs the patient's needs should always come first.