Jerusalem Post Reports Overwhelming Support For Assisted Suicide Bill In The Knesset

Physician-assisted suicide and the struggle for the soul of the State of Israel 

our previous stories on this story

By SHIMSHON HAKOHEN NADEL

06/18/2014 22:44

According to Jewish Law, euthanasia is not compassion – it is murder.

On June 8, a bill proposed by Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah legalizing physician- assisted suicide passed the Knesset’s Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs in a vote of 8-2. If passed, the new law would allow doctors to administer a lethal injection to terminally ill patients who have six months or less to live. And while there has been some opposition from lawmakers and the Chief Rabbinate, what is surprising is the overwhelming support for the new bill – by Knesset Members and the Israeli public.

Advocates of such a law question the quality of life for patients in the last stages of a terminal illness. They speak about "freedom of choice", a patient’s right to autonomy, dying with dignity, and compassion.

Even the late “Dr. Death,” Jack Kevorkian, called the device he used in the deaths of some of the 130 people he helped euthanize the “Mercitron,” evoking "mercy" and "compassion".

But according to Jewish Law, euthanasia is not compassion – it is murder (See Rambam, Hil. Rotze’ah 2:2-3). A patient has no right to take his own life, and, as Chief Rabbi David Lau already commented, a doctor’s sole responsibility is to heal – not to end life (see Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 336:1).

While some of the greatest legal authorities of the 20th century such as Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ruled that in some cases introducing treatment and taking measures in order to extend life are no longer required, all agree that doing anything to hasten the death of a terminally ill patient is akin to murder. Even in the case of a goses, who according to most authorities has less than 72 hours left to live, it is forbidden to take any action that may hasten his death – even touching the patient is prohibited! (Shulhan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 339:1) The Talmud (Avodah Zara 18a) relates that when Rabbi Chanina ben Tradion was being burned alive by the Romans, his students begged him to end his suffering by opening his mouth and allowing the flames to enter. Rabbi Chanina replied, “It is better for He who gave [me my soul] to take it, rather than cause injury to myself.”

This account illustrates that even the dying patient, suffering in pain, is prohibited from taking any action to hasten his death. R. Avraham Danzig rules that one must abstain from doing anything even if the patient’s pain is severe and his family is suffering severe emotional pain (Hokhmat Adam 151:14).

This should not be mistaken for cruelty or a lack of compassion. Instead, it expresses Judaism’s emphasis on life. Concerning the Torah’s laws, we are instructed to “Live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). The Talmud (Yoma 85b) adds, “And not die by them,” requiring the violation of all but three Torah laws in order to preserve life. For in the Jewish tradition, life is of infinite worth. A famous Talmudic passage teaches, “If any person has caused a single soul to perish, Scripture regards him as if he had caused an entire world to perish. And if any human being saves a single soul, Scripture regards him as if he has saved an entire world” (Sanhedrin 37a).

While advocates for physician-assisted suicide argue that a life of pain and suffering is not worth living, our tradition teaches that even the last few moments of life are of immeasurable worth.

And while even secular ethicists agree that euthanasia presents serious ethical, moral and legal questions, in some countries like Belgium and the Netherlands physician-assisted suicide is legal. Even in the United States, physician-assisted suicide has been legal in the State of Oregon since 1994. Oregon’s Death with "Dignity" Act allows for a physician to prescribe a lethal dose of medication for the purpose of ending the patient’s life. In fact, MK Ofer Shelah’s bill was designed based on Oregon law.

But Israel is not Belgium, the Netherlands, or the State of Oregon. The State of Israel is the "Jewish" state not when it talks about laws like this, and religious affiliations aside, Judaism values life above all.

In Judaism, life has sanctity. A law legalizing physician-assisted suicide threatens to extra words undermines the Jewish character of the Jewish state.

It’s high time we embrace our status as a “light unto the nations.” As the Shelah bill proceeds to a preliminary reading and is assigned to a committee, the State of Israel, as the Jewish state, has an obligation to articulate a clear message to the world that life has value and sanctity, and must be protected and preserved.




where are the protest in Yerushalim for this bill which is infinitely worse then then the draft


The author lives and teaches in Jerusalem.
(Jerusalem Post) highlights my additions
If you don't know about this story here are 2 stories from YWN

Israel: Ministerial Committee Approves Physician Approved Euthanasia Bill R”L 
 The Prescription Death Bill was debated by the Ministerial Law Committee on Sunday, 10 Sivan 5774. The bill sponsored by MK (Yesh Atid) Ofir Shelach seeks to pass into law "mercy" killings accompanied by a physician’s orders. The ministerial committee passed the bill.

If passed into law, a physician would be permitted to write a prescription to deliver a lethal dose of medication to a dying patient, to end one’s suffering. If the Knesset passes the bill into law, a doctor writing a fatal prescription will not be liable for any criminal activity under the law.

Shelach told his colleagues the problem is a big one, widespread, and one that needs to be addressed. He stated that with today’s technology and medical advancement life can be prolonged. He feels that his bill will give a patient a measure of control over his own life even during his final days. He feels the bill, if passed into law, will eliminate the legal issues faced by physicians wishing to assist one in ending one’s life today.
(YWN)
Chief Rabbi Lau Shlita Blasts Euthanasia Bill 

Chief Rabbi David Lau Shlita told chareidi radio on Monday night the eve of 12 Sivan 5774 that the Euthanasia Bill passed by the Ministerial Law Committee earlier this week negates halacha and is nothing short of murder. Rav Lau cited how halacha permits physicians to heal, not chas v’sholom to take a life, a decision that remains exclusively in HKBH’s hands, not mortal man.

The rav warned that such an outrageous bill begins with taking the life of one who is terminally ill to end one’s suffering. From there it will extend to the mentally ill, and then even addressing those with what perceive to be poor quality of life. He expressed outrage over the bill and called on the ministers to reverse the unacceptable decision.

The bill would permit physicians to write a prescription for a fatal cocktail for terminally ill patients wishing to bring their suffering to an end.
 (YWN)
What ever happened to the veto power that Bayit Yehudi Has on on bills of that are against the Torah?

Yesh Atid Sponsors Assisted "Suicide" Bill In Israel

Ministerial committee to mull 'death by prescription' bill

Amendment to Terminal Patient Law seeks to allow terminally ill patients to ask their doctors to prescribe lethal sedatives to end their suffering, exempting the doctors from criminal liability • Doctors warn move might lessen the value placed on life.

Bill seeks to legalize doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients [Illustrative] | Photo credit: Reuters

The Ministerial Committee on Legislation plans to debate a new bill that seeks to legalize doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.

The proposal, dubbed the "death by prescription" bill, was drafted by MK Ofer Shelah (Yesh Atid). It will be presented to the committee on Sunday the one that just passed. 

Shelah aims to amend the existing Terminal Patient Law, which was passed in 2005 and regulates the medical treatments offered to terminally ill patients, and their right to demand or refuse to use drastic lifesaving measures. 

While the existing law allows doctors to refrain from prolonging the life of a terminally ill patient whose life expectancy is under six months, it prevents patients for actively seeking medical assistance to end their lives. 

The amendment will allow a terminally ill patient to ask his doctor to prescribe a lethal dose of sedatives to end his suffering. The proposal stipulates that any such request must be made in front of witnesses and on multiple occasions.

Doctors would still be barred from administering the lethal dose, and patients would have to take it themselves, exempting doctors from any criminal liability for their death.

In the United States, physician-assisted "suicide" is legal in Oregon, Washington and Vermont.

The bill has sparked controversy in the medical community in Israel, and many doctors have urged Shelah's fellow Yesh Atid member Health Minister Yael German to oppose the bill. 

"Doctors in Israel have earned the public's trust because of our outstanding dedication to saving lives," Israel Medical Association Chairman Dr. Leonid Idelman said. "This trust will be detrimentally harmed if, heaven forbid, any doctor pursues euthanasia."

In a letter to German, Idelman noted that the World Medical Association's official position on the matter states that euthanasia is unethical. 

A senior medical source said that should the bill pass, "it would lead to a slippery slope and lessen the value society places on life."

(israelhayom) highlights our mine for clarification

Haaretz Wants Israeli Schools To Mandate Promoting Homosexuality In Schools

Israeli schools aren’t yet reaching out to gay kids, LGBT leaders say

Schools aren’t formally required to discuss homosexuality with students, so it’s up to the principal whether to skirt the issue.

By Yarden Skop | Jan. 21, 2014 | 3:07 AM

remember Haaretz Polls lean left, compare numbers with a pew poll, the main point of this poll is to show what the lefties in Israel want to do

Two-thirds (link has a list of gay bills they are pushing)  of Israelis believe that discussions on sexual preference which of course will be 1 sided should take place at school, according to a Haaretz survey last month, but educators and gay-community leaders say this simply isn’t happening.

Reality is better reflected by a 2012 survey by the group Israel Gay Youth. In that study, only 13 percent of gay teens felt comfortable talking about the subject of sexual identity with their teachers they want this number to be 100%. Also, 65 percent said they suffered homophobic comments in the hallways, with 17 percent saying their teachers did nothing about it.

Israel Gay Youth is the only LGBT organization regularly budgeted by the Education Ministry.
A major "problem", according to LGBT groups, is that the school system is not formally required to address the topic of sexual preference. While some study units on the issue are taught as part of the life-skills curricula, teachers don’t have to use them. notice what they want, and then after this happens in the regular schools system they will go after all the religious ones.  How is this not much more dangreous than the draft?  Where are our rallies, articles, etc. for this problem?

“At the moment, school principals have absolute autonomy on whether the units will be taught,” says Mandy Michaeli, Israel Gay Youth’s co-executive director. “The moment there’s no order from the Education Ministry, it’s a judgment call — and the judgment of most teachers is not to discuss it in the schools. We hear every week about more and more teenage boys and girls who suffer verbal and physical violence in school.”

According to Ran Lebel, also co-executive director, “I look at my training as a teacher, and if I weren’t gay, I wouldn’t know how to deal with a student who came out to me. The teachers are speechless when that happens. It needs to become part of teacher training.”

Hila Segal, the Education Ministry official in charge of sex education, says only some schools approach the issue properly.

“Our policy on this matter is clear: We don’t allow rejection or homophobic comments by staff members,” she says. “Every year, as International Day Against Homophobia approaches, our director general issues a circular requiring schools to discuss the topic.”

Segal’s department receives letters from schools that need help with sexual-identity issues. For example, department officials have advised a teenage transgender "boy" meaning a girl with issues. The school staff was unsure whether to let him sleep among the boys at the annual school trip, and whether to let him use the boys’ bathroom at school.

Not a week goes by when a school doesn’t ask for help with the LGBT topic, Segal Says. There’s a difference between what happens in the center of the country and what happens in the outskirts, because students in the center have access to professionals who are "experts" on the topic, she adds.

“Students keep seeking help and say ‘I think I’m gay,’ and the counselor or teacher tells them to wait before they decide to announce it. This response by the system makes it look like they don’t want to deal with it,” Segal says.  Instead accepting a false identity, announcing it to the world,  and marching in a parade like a good liberal

“Besides the need to listen to the child and ask him what he needs, I think it’s legitimate, especially when the child is young, to say, ‘Take your time; it’s for you to decide what’s good for you, and we’re here with you.’ Children are ambivalent, and I don’t want a counselor or teacher to put definitions in their mouths.”

Another group that works with the Education Ministry but receives no budget is Hoshen, the name an acronym for the Hebrew words for education and change. Its volunteers give workshops at schools, where they tell about their lives in the LGBT community and their process of self-discovery and coming out.
Hoshen and the Education Ministry developed curricula on the topic and distributed it to all the schools. Hoshen has more than 150 activists, who have visited some 80 schools throughout the country. But this isn’t seen as enough.

“We only provide a one-time activity that lasts an hour and a half,” says Hoshen’s chief executive, Irit Zvieli-Efrat. “Even if we had 1,000 volunteers in branches all over the country, the Education Ministry would play a deciding role.”

Zvieli-Efrat also mentions another issue: gay and lesbian teachers and how comfortable they feel coming out to their students and discussing the topic with them.

She says there are 100 teachers in an average-sized high school, "making" around 10 of them gay or lesbian.

“But not many teachers have come out,” she says. “It makes me wonder what sort of atmosphere exists there that doesn’t let teachers come out.”
(Haaretz) highlighted are our addition