Christians, Muslims, Jews unite against assisted suicide

VATICAN CITY – Leaders from three of the world’s major religions have joined forces against assisted suicide and euthanasia, in a declaration issued at the Vatican.

The declaration, backed by leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, states that no health care provider should be “coerced or pressured” into providing assisted suicide or any form of euthanasia.

That should be the case even if local legal systems permit such acts, according to the declaration a copy of which the Vatican released on Monday.

The document adds that when death is imminent despite the medical treatments and technologies used, “it is justified to make the decision to withhold certain forms of medical treatment that would only prolong a precarious life of suffering.”