by R. Jason Weiner

When a Jew Requests Assisted Suicide: Towards a More Nuanced View of Euthanasia

On the one hand, there is little room for any nuance when it comes to euthanasia (i.e., a physician hastening the death of a patient), or physician-assisted suicide (i.e., patient performs the final act of taking their own life). Any manner of active hastening of death is antithetical to Jewish values and strongly prohibited by Jewish law. This is because Judaism teaches that our lives are not just needed for utilitarian purposes, but that each person has infinite value, having been created in the image of God, and is thus sacred regardless of one’s relative quality of life or usefulness. Furthermore, not only is human life itself of infinite value, but every moment of life is of infinite value as well, and there is thus an obligation to attempt to save all life, regardless of how much time a person may have left to live. Similarly, in Jewish Law, hastening death is considered murder, even if the victim is about to die anyway. This is true even if a person wants their life taken from them, because of the belief that God owns us and that we thus have very limited autonomy. Judaism also prohibits most forms of bodily damage, suicide, and assisted suicide. Causing death indirectly is also a biblical prohibition. Jewish Law does not demand that we always pursue “heroic” measures, and there are certainly situations in which Jewish Law permits withholding aggressive life-sustaining treatments, but even “passive euthanasia” is sometimes prohibited when it involves the omission of certain therapeutic procedures or withholding medication, since physicians are charged with prolonging life.

Compassion

On the other hand, physician-assisted suicide is becoming legal in many states, and we know that even where it is illegal, certain forms of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide still happen regularly. What is the most appropriate attitude towards people who choose to pursue this forbidden activity, and what approach should we take when asked for guidance from an individual who is considering this? Although some might think that it is proper for a religious individual to always take a firm stance against physician-assisted suicide, research out of those states where it is legal is beginning to point towards a more effective strategy. Paradoxically, it turns out that a non-judgmental, supportive approach from clergy has been more effective in allowing patients to consider alternatives, and to ultimately change their minds, than active opposition to the patient’s decision.

A rabbi cannot permit physician-assisted suicide, but it is still possible to have compassion for the suffering of terminally ill individuals contemplating such a decision while not endorsing or even condoning it. After all, there are certain cases of suicide, such as that of Saul recoded in the book of Samuel 1 (31:3-4), which Jewish Law does not endorse, yet for which it offers sympathy and permits traditional burial and mourning practices. For this reason, as a general rule rabbinic authorities assume most cases of suicide are not willful and instead “look for any mitigating circumstances such as fear or anguish or insanity on the part of the one committing suicide, or if they thought it was a meritorious act to prevent other transgressions.” In fact, there are even times when Jewish Law may permit praying for a suffering terminal patient to die, yet at the same time obligates us to do everything possible, including violate the laws of Shabbat, to prolong their life. We thus see that even while prohibiting this behavior in practice, there is room for showing some level of understanding and compassion to the patient.

Identifying and Addressing the Root Causes

Furthermore, it is crucial to understand why patients seek physician-assisted suicide, so that we can offer the most effective interventions and appropriate alternatives. Studies of patients who opt for physician-assisted suicide in Oregon consistently show that the primary motivation for making this choice is a desire for control. These patients tend to express a strong desire to control the circumstances of their death (time and manner), to die at home, as well as to address their worries related to eventual loss of dignity and independence, being a burden on others, quality of life, self-sufficiency and ability to care for themselves. Interestingly, it turns out that these issues are more prevalent than concerns related to depression, poor social support or uncontrolled pain and physical symptoms, which some had predicted would be the primary motivations to seek physician-assisted suicide.

In light of that finding, the best way to encourage people who are seeking physician-assisted suicide to explore other options would be to focus on interventions that help them maintain a sense of control, independence, and the ability to care for themselves, ideally in a home environment. Instead of trying to convince people about how wrong physician-assisted suicide is, it seems that it is most effective for clinicians to focus on eliciting and then addressing worries and apprehension about their future, with the goal of reducing anxiety about the dying process, educating them about how their disease may progress, and offering information about how to manage pain and discomfort while maintaining function and cognition, if that is what they would prefer. For rabbis, this means providing information to empower the patient and modeling a non-anxious presence, while allowing the patient to work through their fears so they can make another choice. Many of the patients studied report sensing a lack of purpose and meaning in life as a reason for pursuing physician-assisted suicide, which implies that assessing their existential concerns may be crucial in enabling them not to pursue this option.

Simply assuming that a patient who requests aid in dying is depressed can lead to ineffective, and even harmful antidepressant treatments that don’t address root causes or lead to one changing their mind. Similarly, focusing only on addressing physical discomfort ignores the fact that suffering is often existential and cannot be fully treated by pain management alone, and that not all physical pain can always be fully managed, even by expert palliative care. Nevertheless, symptom management is often a major issue for dying patients, and should of course be attended to. After all, the alleviation of pain and suffering is a mitzvah and should not be withheld out of concern for potential adverse effects. It is Halakhically permitted for patients to receive narcotic pain medication, even when it may possibly hasten their death, provided that the intent is only to alleviate pain, not to shorten the patient’s life, and that each dose on its own is not enough to certainly shorten the patient’s life. Some authorities have even permitted permanent/continuous sedation for a suffering, terminal patient who so desires.

Conclusion

Judaism forbids euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Still, the patients who request it should generally be treated with respect and compassion. It is essential that those who work with patients who are considering or requesting physician-assisted suicide take the time to sincerely listen to their patients and explore the reason(s) for their request. Studies show that often simply listening to the patients’ concerns helps to mitigate many of them. Then, one can non-judgmentally provide options for an appropriate “substantive intervention” (medical control of pain or other symptoms; referral to a hospice program, a mental health, social work, chaplaincy, or palliative-care consultation; trial of anti-depressant medication when appropriate), which has also been proven effective in enabling patients to change their minds about wanting assisted suicide. In particular, one should seek to address the patient’s specific concerns, and determine if there is a way to meet them, such as addressing a need for control, without opting for physician-assisted suicide. Hopefully, in this way we can maintain our standards and fealty to Halakhah, while at the same time expressing compassion and finding the most effective method of avoiding physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia.



