Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA
Throughout the United States there is an increase in legislation related to assisted suicide. In 2022, the Assembly of Bishops’ Statement on the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination addresses this issue:
“In recent years, the possibilities for ill persons to choose to end their own lives have increased with access to medications that hasten death and legislation that allows for physicians to assist in the death of their patients. The Church grieves the pain and suffering many people experience in this life, but it cannot and does not condone any form of euthanasia. As with other forms of suicide, the Church, out of its compassion for both the dead and the bereaved, may, with prayerful discernment and at the case-by-case discretion of the bishop, offer funeral and burial services in certain of these situations. Most importantly, we advocate for compassionate palliative care and continue to pray for a ‘good Christian ending to our lives’ and a death that is ‘peaceful, without shame or pain,’ as we pray in our services.”
To read the statement in its entirety, visit: On the Sacredness of Human Life and its Untimely Termination