Living and dying in the Jewish way: secular rights and religious duties.
This article compares and contrasts the modern American secular emphasis on individual rights and autonomous decision making in the "right to die" context with the traditional emphasis on obligation to others and to God found in Orthodox Judaism. The approach of Conservative and Reform Judaism to decision-making about life-sustaining medical treatments also is explicated and used as the basis for posing a variety of questions regarding the proper balance and relative influence of religious and secular values for modern American Jews in grappling with the difficult ethical dilemmas posed by "right to die" scenarios.
Wright State University School of Medicine.
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Kapp
D016223:Advance Directives; D003657:Decision Making; D028601:Euthanasia, Active; D007258:Informed Consent; D007599:Judaism; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000592:standards; D016743:Mental Competency; D028681:Moral Obligations; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000523:psychology; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012297:Right to Die; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States; D026712:Value of Life; D035761:Wedge Argument