Recent events such as the sad case of Terri Schiavo and the conflict rending her family apart have brought end-of-life issues into the news. One family's tragedy has become the topic of many families' nightmares, and all three branches of the US government have become involved. Some see government heroically protecting the weak; others see cynical exploitation for political ends.
In the 1950s, a film called The Cardinal depicted the conflict in values between Catholic and Jewish approaches to a medical crisis: A Jewish man, married to a Catholic woman, whose brother is a high church official, is told by the Catholic hospital where she is being treated that a crisis has occurred, and that a choice must be made between the life of the mother and that of her unborn child. The husband asks that his wife's life be saved, but he is overruled on religious grounds by his brother-in-law. It was possible to see a clear-cut difference in the practical outcome of espousing different religious traditions, and the movie served as the basis for many discussion programs.
The current case is no movie, but rather a real-life tragedy. Jews and non-Jews alike face the same dilemmas every day, as evolving medical technology has made possible both the prolonging of life and the prolonging of suffering.
The purpose of this CAJE Rapid Curricular Response is to offer educators resources for confronting questions that will be asked in any forum in which end-of-life issues are discussed. We present links expressing a variety of points of view within the spectrum of halakha and Jewish thought and practice. Links representing non-Jewish approaches are widely available on public search engines and have not been included here.
Note that not every article here pertains directly to the Schiavo case; rather, we have offered links to materials that discuss similar or related, broad issues.
A related links rubric, Jewish Health Issues and Jewish Genetic Disorders, will become part of the Curriculum Response Service links lineup shortly.
A further note: CAJE offers these links for informational purposes only and does not endorse any particular response within the Jewish spectrum spanned by CAJE's membership. These links should be seen as general resources only; for individual halakhic, rabbinical, or medical advice, one is best advised to refer to expert authorities who can offer counseling on a personal level.
This is very much a work in progress. We invite you to suggest additional links to resources you have found useful, and also to submit to the CAJE Curriculum Bank your original discussion materials or activities that others may find useful. Please send your suggestions to pastark@caje.org. Please let us know if you find this material useful, too.