Q. Dear Rov Shlit’a. Firstly as an active member of Bikur Cholim, thank you for your efforts in answering and providing help to the many difficult Shaalos and doubts involved in our days, especially in Canada, in not terminating the elderly, the sick and the patients that feel they have no hope.
I have a Shaila that happened to me as I was visiting a patient in hospital. When I was there, there were two doctors that were talking to another Jewish elderly patient nearby in the presence of a family member, They were reviewing some forms signed by the patient in which, as I was listening to, agreed to have his life terminated. The reviewed the signature of the notary and then proceed to offer him a drink that would terminate his life, complying with MAID or medical assistance in dying.
I was kind of shocked and had a few Halacha questions. Firstly should I have protested? Then if that was not the recommended or proper thing to do, should I have approached and recited the Shema with him with some words of Viduy? Did I have to say the brocho od Dayan Emes? Stay and close his eyes and see about the Chevra Kaddisha?
How does one proceed with these Shailos that are becoming L’A so common in our Days?
A. Our Rabbonim disagree, Horav Dovid Pam Shlit’a maintains that it is best to protest and intervene that they should stop. While Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a and Horav Nosson Hofman Shlit’a opine that protesting may cause the medics to call security and end in Chilul Hashem. Some mentioned that just approaching and reciting the Shema with him with some words of Viduy, may seem as an agreement to the procedure.
A third option may be just reading aloud the Shema and reciting Viduy and other Tefilos aloud without approaching the suicidal patient, so it may not seem as joining the suicidal-murder procedure.
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is that he should just mention aloud that a good Jew does not kill himself and then walk away.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit'a
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