RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF EUTHANASIA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS

Abstract

This paper considers the position of the Orthodox Church, and in particular the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC), on euthanasia and physician-assisted death, situating it within the broader comparative context of Christian theological reflections on end-of-life ethics. The aim is to present the theological arguments of the Orthodox position and to outline the similarities and differences with the Roman Catholic Church and the principal Protestant denominations. The study employs a hermeneutic and comparative theological approach, analysing primary religious documents (the papal encyclical Evangelium Vitae of 1995, the Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church (Section XII.8), denominational declarations of the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, the Church of England and the United Church of Christ, and the 2019 Joint Declaration of the Abrahamic Monotheistic Religions), biblical and patristic sources (Gen. 1:27; 2:7; Ex. 20:13; Rom. 6:23; Col. 1:24, together with writings of St Gregory of Nyssa and Blessed Augustine), and Bulgarian legislation, in particular Article 97 of the Health Act and Articles 30–31 of the Code of Professional Ethics of Bulgarian Physicians. Secondary literature in bioethics, Christian ethics and palliative medicine complements the documentary analysis. As a result of the study, the author concludes that the Orthodox Church consistently rejects euthanasia as a morally inadmissible act, grounding this position in the doctrine of the image of God in man, the sanctity of life as a divine gift, the redemptive meaning of suffering, and preparation for a "good death" through the Church's sacraments. The convergence with Roman Catholicism is substantial, both traditions sharing the absolute prohibition formulated in Evangelium Vitae and the principle of double effect, which distinguishes the prohibited active termination of life from the morally permissible refusal of disproportionate treatment. Protestant views on the question are more diverse: conservative denominations (Southern Baptist Convention, Lutheran Church) categorically reject euthanasia, while liberal communities such as the Episcopal, Methodist and United Church of Christ allow euthanasia in extreme cases as a matter of individual conscience. The 2019 Joint Declaration confirms a substantial unity across Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim traditions on this question. The paper concludes that the position of the Orthodox Church cannot be reduced to mere institutional conservatism: it rests on a coherent theological anthropology that perceives suffering as potentially salvific and death as a passage to be prepared for spiritually rather than managed technologically. Pastoral practice, alongside the Church's support for palliative care and hospice development, constitutes the constructive alternative to the legalisation of euthanasia. Recommendations include further interdisciplinary dialogue between Orthodox theologians, medical professionals and bioethicists, particularly concerning palliative-care infrastructure, advance directives and the moral distinction between euthanasia and the legitimate refusal of disproportionate treatment.