![]() Some Jewish authorities consider these orders extremely problematic, as a patient needing CPR is in acute distress and could be saved, even for a brief period, with proper treatment. DNRs are typically requested by patients who are elderly or are suffering from an advanced terminal illness that makes it unlikely they would survive CPR without a severely diminished condition. Known as DNRs, these are legally binding directives signed by doctors ordering medical professionals to withhold CPR or advanced life support in the event a patient’s heart stops functioning. Many contemporary Jewish authorities argue that Jewish tradition allows a focus on comfort and pain reduction and the eschewing of aggressive medical interventions in certain circumstances. However, not all Jewish authorities agree. Because hospice focuses on a patient’s quality of life rather than aggressive medical treatment, some Orthodox rabbis do not believe hospice conforms with Jewish tradition. Jewish hospice programs are typically equipped to provide hospice services while abiding by Jewish traditions. Patients are typically referred to hospice care when further medical treatment is not expected to reverse the course of their disease and they elect instead to focus on therapies geared toward reducing pain and sustaining the highest quality of life for as long as possible. Hospice is a form of medical care for people suffering from terminal illnesses with a life expectancy of six months or less. However, the Conservative movement’s religious law authorities also endorsed a paper by Rabbi Elliot Dorff, who advanced several possible justifications for removing artificial nutrition and hydration for the terminally ill, among them the contention that a medically administered treatment that conveys food and water to the patient by tube is more properly regarded as medicine than as simple food and water. This position is was also reflected in the 1990 paper on end-of-life care authored by Conservative Rabbi Avram Reisner. Most Orthodox authorities generally consider nutrition, hydration and oxygen - even if artificially provided by a feeding tube or ventilator - to constitute essential human needs that should never be discontinued as long as they are effective. This is a common situation faced by those with advanced-stage dementia. Artificial Nutrition/Hydrationįor patients unable to eat or drink, doctors can provide food and water intravenously or through a feeding tube. ![]() ![]() And while weight is always given to a patient’s wishes, those who are concerned about complying with Jewish law are always urged to consult with trusted advisers. Jewish thinkers often emphasize that specific cases vary substantially and must be considered individually. Of course there is a moral distinction between hastening death and removing obstacles to its natural progression, but in practice the difference isn’t always easy to discern.īelow is a general overview of a number of issues that commonly arise at life’s end - and how Jewish authorities have weighed in on them. While Jewish tradition maintains that human life is of infinite value and that its preservation and extension overrides virtually every other religious imperative, relieving pain and allowing for the soul’s peaceful departure are also values well-established in Jewish tradition. They are often messy and complicated, and they have vexed ethicists, medical professionals and religious leaders alike. This post is part of a series sponsored by and developed in partnership with MJHS Health System and UJA-Federation of New York to raise awareness and facilitate conversations about end of life care in a Jewish context.ĭecisions concerning medical care in the final stages of life present a range of Jewish ethical and legal conundrums. MJHS Health System & UJA-Federation of New York
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