When institutional religious policies override dying patients’ own faith and autonomy.

While spiritual beliefs can take on heightened meaning at the end of life, true religious freedom remains an aspiration rather than a reality for many patients. While much attention is paid to the formal Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) of large Catholic health systems, religious restrictions and other policy limitations permeate a vast network of hospitals, hospices, and long-term care facilities. This session explores how both institutional policies and health care workers’ personal religious or other beliefs can override patient autonomy and medical best practices, as well as the sincerely held religious and spiritual values of patients who view medical aid in dying as a compassionate choice.