(Rabbi Yitz Frank, Ohio Director) The annual dinner of the Columbus Chevra Kadisha – Burial Society this past Sunday featured an important panel discussion arranged by Agudath Israel of America. More than 75 people gathered to hear the expert panel discuss the topic of “Halachic Living Wills: Why every person needs one.”
The panel featured Rabbi A. D. Motzen, national director of state relations for Agudath Israel of America, Dr. Jay Bernstein, MD, MPH, FACEP, an experienced emergency room physician in Cincinnati, and a video presentation by Harry M. Brown, Esq., partner at Benesch Law, longtime Agudath Israel board member, and the drafter of Agudah’s Ohio form. The panel was moderated by Rabbi Chaim Yosef Ackerman of Ahavas Sholom Congregation.
Rabbi Motzen described some of the common situations where conflicts arise between a patient’s family and the hospital or sometimes between the various family members themselves. While Agudath Israel has tried to ensure that state laws protect a patient’s religious rights and at times will call upon its network of attorneys to help in individual cases, “the best way to avoid these issues is to sign a halachic living will and appoint a durable power of attorney for health care”.
Dr. Jay Bernstein discussed the change in health care since he started practicing medicine. As a young resident he was instructed to go to great lengths to prolong the life of a dying patient, but in recent years, Dr. Bernstein described how many patients are receiving less care under the guise of “death with dignity” and “compassion” among other reasons.
Mr. Brown explained the legal rights that every person has to determine their medical course of treatment and the importance of executing a living will document while a person is “healthy, rational, and not in pain”. The video presentation can be seen here:
The attendees received halachic living will forms and copies of the EMES (Emergency Medical Education and Sign up) card, a new initiative of the National Association of Chevra Kadisha. The card is meant to be kept with one’s driver’s license and lists all the pertinent information about one’s end-of-life wishes and the contact information of the power of attorney listed on a halalchic living will form.
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