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Fluids and nutrition: perspectives from Jewish Law (Halachah)
1Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA.
Southern Medical Journal
|February 11, 2009
Summary
Jewish law considers nutrition and hydration as ordinary care, not extraordinary measures. Withholding these essential elements is inconsistent with the supreme sanctity of human life in Judaism.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Religious Law
- Palliative Care
Background:
- Historically, nutrition and hydration were viewed as standard supportive care for terminally ill patients.
- Recent shifts in institutional policies and healthcare perspectives question whether these interventions are extraordinary and can be withdrawn.
Observation:
- A case study is presented to examine the perspective of traditional Jewish law (Halachah) on the provision of nutrition and hydration.
- This legal framework is analyzed in the context of end-of-life care decisions.
Findings:
- Judaism places a high value on the sanctity of human life.
- Fluids and nutrition are classified as ordinary, essential supportive measures, not heroic or extraordinary interventions.
Implications:
- Withholding nutrition and hydration contradicts established principles of Jewish law.
- These life-sustaining measures should not be withdrawn from patients, irrespective of conditions like brain tumors, dementia, or prior directives against life-prolonging treatments.
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