Atheist Doctors More Likely to Hasten Death, Study Finds

A new study in Britain found that doctors who described themselves "extremely" or "very nonreligious" were twice as likely to make decisions that could facilitate the end of a terminally ill patient's life. 

MSNBC reports that more than 2,923 doctors across Britain responded to the survey by Dr. Clive Seale, a professor at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Doctors who described themselves as "extremely" or "very nonreligious" were nearly twice as likely to report having made decisions like providing continuous deep sedation, which could accelerate a patient's death.

Seale also found that doctors who identified as "religious" were much less likely to discuss end of life treatment decisions with their patients.

To ensure doctors are acting in accordance with their patients' wishes, Seale wrote that "nonreligious doctors should confess their predilections to their patients."