New York Doctor to testify in favor of Sustaining Life Support for Orthodox Jewish Man

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."

http://www.vosizneias.com/16520/2008/05/28/winnipeg-canada-ny-doctor-to-testify-in-favor-of-sustaining-life-support-for-orthodox-patient/

Canada Sending Mothers to US to Give Birth

I used to support a single payer plan for national health insurance. Now, I am very dubious. Here's one reason from Canada. From the story:

A problem in Canada's hospitals is sending scores of pregnant women south of the border to have their babies. Carri Ash of Chilliwack, B.C. was sent to the U.S. to have her baby after her water broke on Sunday, ten weeks ahead of schedule. "And they came in and said 'you're going to Seattle,'" she said. Ash's hospital couldn't handle the high-risk pregnancy. Doctors searched for another hospital bed, but even hospitals in Vancouver, B.C. didn't have a neo-natal bed. "So two provinces didn't have enough room, so I have to go to another country," said Ash.

The next election will put health care on the table. Some point to Canada as the way to go. I think not. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of people in Canada can't even obtain a primary care physician.

We'd better contemplate this crucial issue carefully. Once we go down a road as a country, it will be almost impossible to turn around.