Religious Beliefs and Practices

Baha'i
> Use of prayer in times of illness
> Permit use of alcohol and drugs only if ordered by physician
> Ill persons are to seek medical assistance

Buddhists
> Avoidance of extremes: use of drugs, blood, or vaccines
> If a patient is beyond recovery and can no longer strive toward enlightenment, euthanasia may be permitted
> Certain circumstances may warrant abortion
> Approve either burial or cremation
> Last rite chanting is frequently practiced at the bedside of the deceased

Jehovah's Witnesses
> Oppose blood transfusion, although some do agree to them when in crisis
> If BT is refused especially in infants, a court order may be sought to transfer custody to the courts or to an official of the hospital
> Consume meat that has been drained of blood
> Infant baptism is not practiced
> Have a neutral attitude towards birth control, believing it is a matter of individual conscience
> Condemn and prohibits sterilization
> Forbid therapeutic and demand abortions
> Condemn masturbation and homosexuality
> Approve burial and cremation
> Approve autopsy only as required by law and no parts of the body are to be removed

Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints)
> Believe in healing by the "laying of the hands"
> No prohibition of medical therapy
> Alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee are prohibited and meat is eaten sparingly
> Some members wear a special undergarment at all times
> Patients in the hospital may request the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper by a church priesthood holder

Muslims/Moslems (Islam)
> All pork products are prohibited
> Disapprove alcoholic beverages except for medicinal purposes
> Observe fasting period in the 9th month of the Mohammedan year (Ramadan), those who are ill are exempted
> If a fetus is aborted 130 days or more after conception, it is treated as a fully developed human being. Before that time, it is considered as a discarded tissue
> The dying person must confess and beg for forgiveness
> Only family and relatives can touch the body after death. They wash and prepare the body and turn it toward Mecca
> Encourage prolonging life, even for the terminally ill

Roman Catholics
> An infant has a soul from the moment of conception, therefore a fetus must be baptized unless it is obviously dead and so must all babies whose health/life is endangered
> Baptism may be performed by any person, a physician or nurse, in the absence of a priest, who does what the church requires
> When performed by a physician or nurse, the baptism should be recorded on the infant's chart
> Encourage anointing of the sick - considered as a source of strength/healing and is a preparation for death; can be done more than once; may be preceded by confession and Holy Communion
> Accept donor transplant as long as loss of the organ does not deprive the donor of life and functional integrity of the body
> Biopsies and amputations are accepted but requires burial of the amputated limb
> Accept autopsy of all major parts of the body (those retaining human quality must be given an appropriate burial/cremation)
> Has strict laws governing birth control, sterilization, and abortion
> Approve abstinence as a method of birth control; artificial means are illicit
> Forbid sterilization unless there is a sound medical indication
> Demand and therapeutic abortions are prohibited even to save the mother's life
> Observe dietary and fasting practices; ill persons are excused

Seventh-Day Adventists
> Oppose infant baptism; conducts adult baptism by immersion
> Prohibits alcohol, tobacco, narcotics, and stimulants
> Advocate vegetarian diets
> Some practice divine healing and anointing with oil
> Saturday is Sabbath Day
> Avoid drugs but they recognize that BT, vaccines, and drugs are sometimes necessary
> Birth control and sterilization are left to individual conscience
> Approve abortion if mother's life is endangered or if pregnancy is due to rape of incest
> Oppose hypnotism



Note: Notes were taken from my own nursing lecture notes. Information may not be accurate. Please refer to other available resources.