[Miss Behave]

"You forgot to add the statement from the Orthodox Jewish community. I forget their official title. Everyone is watching this."

I agree, Spotted Owl.

[Earthdweller]

I am hesitant to look for a good source of Jewish law concerning Terri because I am not familiar with what the Jewish community considers to be their leading source of information on issues. I will make a stab at it here.

Possibly others might have a better link or two.

I found an article in the Jewish Week (on-line) that had this statement to make about the halachic perspective of Terri's death.

“Those who distinguish nutrition and hydration from other forms of medical treatment note that withdrawal of this form of support is frequently an independent cause of death by ‘gradual starvation and hydration,’ and not from the underlying disease,” Ritholtz wrote.

He said that from a halachic perspective, a persistent vegetative state and Alzheimer’s disease are not terminal conditions, per se, despite the fact that they are progressive, irreversible and inevitably result in death.

“Patients with these illnesses,” Ritholtz wrote, “deserve the same full range of treatment that is made available to any other patient.”

source article:http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=10750