Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 386, Issue 10005, 31 October–6 November 2015, Pages 1776-1785
The Lancet

Series
Controversies in faith and health care

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60252-5Get rights and content

Summary

Differences in religious faith-based viewpoints (controversies) on the sanctity of human life, acceptable behaviour, health-care technologies and health-care services contribute to the widespread variations in health care worldwide. Faith-linked controversies include family planning, child protection (especially child marriage, female genital mutilation, and immunisation), stigma and harm reduction, violence against women, sexual and reproductive health and HIV, gender, end-of-life issues, and faith activities including prayer. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and traditional beliefs have similarities and differences in their viewpoints. Improved understanding by health-care providers of the heterogeneity of viewpoints, both within and between faiths, and their effect on health care is important for clinical medicine, public-health programmes, and health-care policy. Increased appreciation in faith leaders of the effect of their teachings on health care is also crucial. This Series paper outlines some faith-related controversies, describes how they influence health-care provision and uptake, and identifies opportunities for research and increased interaction between faith leaders and health-care providers to improve health care.

Section snippets

Introduction and ethics

More than 80% of the world's population reported having a religious faith,1, 2 but attribution of individual health-related viewpoints to this faith is very difficult because of variations in acceptance of the authority and interpretation of sacred texts and viewpoints that might be substantially modified by culture, education, economics, politics, and laws. We describe a series of common religious faith-related controversies in health care, reviewing some teachings within the different faiths.

Family planning

Different viewpoints exist on when human life begins. Buddhists,6 Catholics,7 and Hindus8 teach that human life starts at the moment of conception. Protestants vary; some believe that human life starts at conception whereas others believe it starts at implantation or even later.9 Islam teaches that human life begins after 4 months of pregnancy, with the infusion of the spirit into the fetus.10 Judaism teaches that human life is progressively acquired, starting 40 days after conception.11

Many

Recommendations

A disturbing dearth of analysis of health-care-related controversies between and within religion exists; innovative research and documentation processes and programmes are urgently needed.103 Our Series paper merely identifies some faith-related factors affecting policy and practice in health care; deeper research, consideration, and action are needed.

Clinicians should become better informed about the faith drivers that affect their patient's attitudes, prejudices, behaviours, response to

Search strategy and selection criteria

We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL for articles published in English between Jan 1, 1975, and Dec 31, 2014 with the search terms “faith”, “religion”, “ethics”, “controversies”, and “health care”. We also searched websites of faith-based and secular organisations with expertise and experience in religious faith and health care.

This online publication has been corrected. The corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com on October 30, 2015

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      In faith-based interventions, increased religious attendance has often been reported but religious attendance should not be automatically interpreted as improved social support. Religion-linked social controversies include family planning, immunisation, genital mutilation, gender, and end-of-life issues (Tomkins et al., 2015). Churches want to save souls, which may include evangelism and mandating the adoption of beliefs of the delivering organization (Campbell, 2007).

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