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12 Adar II 5765 - March 23, 2005 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Knesset Approves Euthanasia Legislation

By Eliezer Rauchberger

The Knesset plenum approved the Terminally-Ill Patient Law in a first reading vote of 77 to 7. The opponents were the two Degel HaTorah MKs who voted as instructed by maranan verabonon, two MKs from Agudas Yisroel and three MKs from Arab parties. Shas supported the proposal.

According to the precedent-setting bill, for the first time doctors in Israel would be permitted by law not to artificially prolong the life of a terminally-ill patient, i.e. they would be allowed to refrain from administering medical care to patients with a prognosis of imminent death.

The bill was tabled by Health Minister Danny Naveh, who adopted the recommendations of a public committee set up to address the issue. Headed by Prof Avraham Steinberg the committee has been considering the matter for an extended period.

Naveh said the law would only apply in cases where treating physicians determine that the patient has a life expectancy of no more than six months.

The law also contains procedures for verifying the patient's wishes and the means through which the family members would express their wishes regarding the patient.

 

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