Withdrawing Treatment at the End of Life: A Jewish Approach

Modern medicine is one of the greatest successes of the past century. It eradicated a few life-threatening diseases, almost doubled the average life expectancy in many developed countries and can, to date, effectively treat numerous conditions. As a result, we have learned to trust it and rely on it. Moreover, most of us will put ourselves in the hands of healthcare providers in one of the most vulnerable times of our lives – the time of our death. While performing wonders for us during our lives, modern medicine has the power to harshly intervene in the painful and intimate process of dying. It can prolong suffering and sometimes makes it difficult to preserve human dignity in face of the inevitable.