Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Orders from an Islamic Perspective

Abstract

In modern medicine and technologies, it is commonly accepted and recognized by the laws in western countries that patients have decision-making rights regarding the end of their lives. While people can choose medical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), some may refuse it for personal, moral, social, or religious reasons. Sometimes, when treatment is futile, it is possible to make an end-of-life decision with a recommendation from a doctor. Therefore, issues that must be addressed in both ethical and Islamic terms surround end-of-life decisions. One of these issues involves Do-NotResuscitate (DNR) orders. DNR is a decision that means treatment methods are not applied to a patient when their breathing or heart has stopped for some reason. This decision is taken either because of a testament signed by the person when they were healthy or because the doctor cannot perform any curative intervention. In this study, the status and applicability of DNR orders will be investigated from an Islamic Bioethics perspective, and fatwas will be cited to clarify the status of DNR orders in Islam. Additionally, because DNR is essentially the refusal or withholding of medical treatment, the provisions of Islam concerning seeking medical treatment and withholding treatment have been extensively researched. This study aims to demonstrate that DNR instructions are Islamically applicable in cases where treatment is unnecessary, considering classical and contemporary Islamic sources.