Making End-of-Life Decisions:
United Church of Christ Perspectives [1]

General Synod 9 (1973) adopted The Rights and Responsibilities of Christian Regarding Human Death, which acknowledges that progress of medical technology creates new possibilities and new problems in the care and perpetuation of human life; affirms the right to die and execution of living wills; support the right to die with dignity through termination of extraordinary measures used to keep a terminally ill, unconscious patient alive; calls for more effective consultation between physician, family, and clergy when death is imminent. It did not address the question of euthanasia at a conscious patient's request.

General Synod 12 (1979) passed an action on Legal Recognition of Living Wills which supports legal recognition of advance directives with appropriate safeguards; and directs the Office for Church and Society and the Conferences to urge state legislation.

General Synod 18 (1991) adopted another resolution titled The Rights and Responsibilities of Christians Regarding Human Death which raises the ethical dilemmas of euthanasia and suicide in cases of painful, lingering death or the prospect of a debilitating terminal disease and calls for further examination of the problem. It also affirms the rights of individuals "to die with dignity and not have their lives unnecessarily prolonged by extraordinary measures" and calls upon Christians "to offer love, compassion, and understanding to those who are faced with difficult life-ending decisions." It further recognizes the need for "safeguards to protect persons who cannot make life and death decisions for themselves."

Click here to download a pdf of the UCC Perspectives on making end-of-life decisions.

[1] Making End-of-Life Decisions: United Church of Christ Perspectives, Council on Health and Human Service Ministries of The United Church of Christ and UCC Chaplains in Health Care, revised and updated 1997, p 19.