Doctors who describe themselves as very or extremely non-religious are almost twice as likely as religious doctors to take measures to hasten the death of a dying patient, new research says. They are also more likely to discuss end of life options with the patient and to support legislation on assisted dying.

The research, in the Journal of Medical Ethics (doi:10.1136/jme.2010.036194), also showed that doctors in hospital specialties were 10 times more likely to take measures to hasten a patient’s death than their colleagues in palliative care.

The author, Clive …