BERGEN COUNTY RIGHT TO LIFE

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The following is the Halachah (Jewish Law) perspective on the tragedy of Terri Schiavo to the best of my understanding.

Th Torah (Bible) teaches us that life is absolute. Every moment of life is valuable and never futile, no matter its apparent condition. No distinction may be made on the basis of age, sex, race, present or potential productivity, etc. Even a condemned criminal is not exempt from this principle. (The Torah, of course, does provide laws of due process in regards to capital crimes.)

We personally have absolutely NO right to measure the value of a human life in regard to the right to live. (This is G-d`s job.) This holds true even in the case of a person who is totally helpless and without "quality of life," that is, insensate.

We must NEVER do anything or withhold anything to shorten a human life for even a moment. Appropriate medical treatment (that can either improve the condition or at least provide comfort) that is not judged to be futile by competent physicians must never be withheld. Jewish law does recognize that death might be preferable to living in intractable pain. Still, although we may pray for death, we must never hasten it (aggressively or passively). Even a "goses" (moribund) patient who is incurable by medical knowledge and technique and who is almost certain to die within a few days must not be hastened to his or her death.

In my opinion, treatment must not be confused with sustenance. Food and water is the G-d-given right of every living creature (how much more so a human being.) Terri Schiavo is alive. She was not being "treated" by her feeding tube. There is a world of difference between this and heart lung and kidney machines. Even if we take the word of her husband that she would not want to be fed in these circumstances, this would constitute suicide, which is absolutely forbidden by Torah law.

Finally, I must add that since no person has ever recovered froma true vegetative state to tell us what it is like, we can only speculate on the possible suffering that Terri Schiabo is experiencing as she is gradually straving to death.