ABSTRACT
Judaism’s positions on issues in health care stem from its underlying convictions about who we are and who we should strive to be. Convictions that are relevant to the end of life include these: the body belongs to God; human beings have both the permission and the obligation to heal; ultimately, humans are mortal. Because the body belongs to God, Jews must seek both preventive and curative medical care and follow the expert’s advice in preserving their health. When several forms of therapy are medically legitimate but offer different benefits and burdens, the patient has the right to choose which regimen to follow, as long as it fits within the rubric of Jewish law. On the other hand, patients do not have the right to demand of their physicians forms of treatment that, in the judgment of the physicians, are medically unnecessary, unwise, or futile or that violate their own understanding of Jewish law. That is, physicians, just as much as patients, are full partners in medical care.
