#end of life care

Can You Ever Pull The Plug? Life Support And Jewish Law

Since Joan Rivers’ death, several people have sent us questions about life support issues in Judaism, similar to the way that Robin Williams’ death piqued people’s curiosity about suicide in Jewish law, particularly as an effect of mental illness. I recognize that this is a sensitive topic and I address it with two caveats. The first is that issues such as this are far above my pay grade. Accordingly, while I am striving to impart information, I am definitely not attempting to rule in any matter of law. If anyone ever has a question of practical application in this area, he should contact a recognized Torah authority. (This is beyond the usual “ask your local Orthodox rabbi.”) The second caveat is that there are no doubt readers who have had occasion to address such end-of-life issues. Some of these readers may have acted counter to what I will soon say is Jewish law. No one is judging you. Having a terminally-ill loved one is a terribly difficult situation and no two cases are exactly alike. As the mishna in Pirkei Avos (2:5) says, we are not to judge another person until we have been in his or her place.

That having been said, the Jewish philosophy on life support is predicated on the belief that all life is sacred and is to be protected at virtually any cost

Read more: http://jewinthecity.com/2014/09/can-you-ever-pull-the-plug-life-support-jewish-law/#ixzz3DgtKCEx4