Verulava Tengiz, Mamulashvili Mariam, Kachkachishvili Iago, Jorbenadze Revaz
1 Health Policy and Insurance Institute, School of Business, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
2 Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia.
Int Q Community Health Educ. 2019 Jan;39(2):101-107. doi: 10.1177/0272684X18819963.
The right of euthanasia is the subject of worldwide discussion today, as it is one of the most controversial medical, religious, political, or ethical issues. This study aims to survey the attitudes of Orthodox parishioners toward the euthanasia. Methods: Within the quantitative study, the survey was conducted through a semistructured questionnaire. Respondents were the parishioners of the Orthodox Church. Within the qualitative study, the survey of the experts of the Orthodox Church, in particular the clergy, was conducted. During the survey of the experts, we used the snowball method.
The majority of respondents (81%) were aware of euthanasia. The dominant opinion is that euthanasia is " the consent to life termination during the illness, when there is no way out and recovery is impossible" or " a terminally ill person voluntarily decides to end life painlessly." Those who disagree with euthanasia rely on the religious factors (why the church prohibits it). Those who agree with euthanasia action argue the legitimate human rights and free will of person. Most of the respondents (86%) have not heard about euthanasia practices in Georgia. Most of the respondents (71%) knew that the Orthodox Church prohibits euthanasia; 39% of the respondents believe that euthanasia is justified in medical terms.
It is advisable to raise public awareness on euthanasia in religious, medical, cultural, social, and legal aspects.
安乐死的权利是当今全球讨论的主题，因为它是最具争议的医学、宗教、政治或伦理问题之一。本研究旨在调查东正教教区居民对安乐死的态度。方法：在定量研究中，通过半结构化问卷进行调查。受访者为东正教教区居民。在定性研究中，对东正教专家，特别是神职人员进行了调查。在对专家的调查中，我们采用了滚雪球法。
大多数受访者（81%）知晓安乐死。主流观点认为安乐死是“在疾病期间，当没有出路且无法康复时同意终止生命”或“绝症患者自愿决定无痛结束生命”。那些不同意安乐死的人依赖宗教因素（教会为何禁止）。那些同意安乐死行为的人则主张人的合法人权和自由意志。大多数受访者（86%）没有听说过格鲁吉亚的安乐死实践。大多数受访者（71%）知道东正教教会禁止安乐死；39%的受访者认为安乐死在医学上是合理的。
建议从宗教、医学、文化、社会和法律等方面提高公众对安乐死的认识。
