NOTE: I was not paid to review this book. It is an unbiased and objective review. If you have a book with Jewish or Israel related content and would like me to write a review, contact me for details of where to send me a review copy of the book.
Book Review: Book Review: Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making, by Rabbi Jason Weiner
The book Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making by Rabbi Jason Weiner presents an interesting, and troubling, premise. From Rabbi Weiner's vast experience working within hospitals with families going through difficult times and needing to make sometimes supremely difficult medical decisions, he knows that patients, and their families, often do not have the tools to make the necessary medical decisions, from a ethical and halachic perspective. They just are not familiar enough with the issues and the ramifications of the various options and the halachic opinions on the matters being dealt with.
In Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making, Weiner attempts to give over a summary, though not necessarily a brief summary, of many complex medical issues patients and/or their families might have to deal with, in order to help them be more informed when such a decision must be made. Rabbi Weiner is pretty clear that this book is not a halachic guide with which one can consult looking for a decision on issues such as what is the halacha regarding a DNR or intubating or the need to deal with time of death or brain death vs heart death or other complex issues. His purpose is to detail the various issues and halachic opinions just to give the reader familiarity with the topics so that should the need arise, God forbid, to make such a decision, the person will be more knowledgeable and not completely lost. Knowledge is power, as Sir Francis Bacon said, and having this knowledge will help people make better decisions.
I must say Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making deals with some very weighty issues. Some of the topics were more complex and some less complex, but I would expect no less of a variety of issues dealing with life or death. And the footnotes - wow!
I know from time spent dealing with medical issues, thank God none as weighty as those discussed in the book, that many of us are, or at least I am, simply ignoramuses when having to make such a serious decision. Our choice is basically to rely on the doctors opinion or maybe ask someone else, if there is time, for some guidance - and then there are the halachic issues to consider as well for which the doctor himself is often useless and maybe a person's rabbi isnt an expert either in these matters and one does not know where to turn. Going into these situation with some foreknowledge can be a major improvement in a persons - while it won't necessarily give you the answer of what your decision should be, it will give you some direction.
I can't say I enjoyed the book Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making - how can one enjoy a book mean to somewhat guide you in making life or death decisions? - but I found it enlightening and important.
- buy Jewish Guide to Practical Medical Decision-Making on Amazon.com
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