By Alex Schadenberg
A neurologist from New York has agreed to testify as a medical expert on behalf of the family of Samuel Golubchuk an Orthodox Jewish man from Winnipeg Canada.
Dr. Leon Zacharowicz agreed to work on the case pro-bono after being contacted by Agudath Israel of America. Dr. Zacharowicz is planning to go to Winnipeg sometime this summer to examine Golubchuk himself in preparation for the trial that is currently scheduled for November 2008.
Dr. Edward Reichman, a leading expert and lecturer in the field of medical ethics stated that according to Jewish ethics “If a person’s life is dependent on the ventilator, the decision to take them off the ventilator would be equal to homicide”
Dr. Reichman further stated to The Jewish Star that “The overwhelming majority of rabbinic authorities maintain that it would be prohibited to remove the respirator, if that would lead to the individual’s death.”
Dr. Reichman predicts that “This case could be a real test case. It could become a terrible trend if it gets pushed through. It would be a tragedy, definitely for Orthodox Jews, but also for other patients. If it gets passed in Canada, it can succeed in the United States as well.”
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