Islamic Bioethics: Palliative Sedation
Islamic Bioethics: Palliative Sedation
- Ahmed al-Awamer, Ahmed al-AwamerUniversity of Toronto
- Isamme AlfayyadIsamme AlfayyadKing Fahad Medical City
- , and Mohammed F. AbosoudahMohammed F. AbosoudahKing Fahad Medical City
Summary
Palliative care aims to relieve the suffering of terminally ill patients and their families through the effective management of pain and other distressing symptoms. Depending on symptom severity, different levels of sedation are required to palliate symptoms effectively. However, Islamic jurisprudence forbids and criminalizes any act intended to terminate a patient’s life. Jurists have attempted to determine the permissibility of palliative sedation from an Islamic perspective while referencing the ethical principles and legal maxims of the Islamic jurisprudence (Al-Qawāʿid al-Fiqhiyah). Palliative sedation may be permissible as a last resort for imminently dying Muslim patients based on the principle of necessity.
Keywords
Subjects
- Islamic Studies
