Dr Roland Chia Speaks at Christian Bioethics Symposium in Indonesia

On 18 Apr 2026, Dr Roland Chia spoke at a Christian Bioethics Symposium on end-of-life ethics. This symposium was organised by the Bandung Theological Seminary and the Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Indonesia. It was conducted in hybrid format with some participants attending onsite while others participated online. Dr Chia made his presentation via Zoom.

In his presentation, Dr Chia argued that Christian ethics reject euthanasia and assisted dying because human life is sacred, created by God, and must not be intentionally ended by human choice. While death is a result of sin, it has ultimately been conquered through Christ, and suffering—though not to be sought—can bear spiritual meaning.

These convictions shape an approach to end-of-life care that upholds human dignity and trust in God’s sovereignty, advocating instead for palliative care that is compassionate and holistic, addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Within this framework, certain medical decisions—such as withdrawing futile treatment, issuing do-not-resuscitate orders, and using palliative sedation under strict conditions—may be morally permissible, provided that the intention is not to hasten death but to care faithfully for the patient.

Other speakers at the symposium include Dr Venita Eng from the Icon Cancer Centre at Bali International Hospital and Rev Dr Philip Djung, a lecturer at Bandung Theological Seminary and senior pastor of Gereja Injili Indonesia (GII) Hok Im Tong Dago.

The symposium was attended by seminary students, lecturers, pastors, doctors, and medical students.