ubiquitin – You have many fine points. I think I agree with almost everything except that it isn’t coming from a place of evil. But putting that aside for a moment, in this post you are arguing a separate point. I agree with you that how you present things to goyim or secular Jews in the workplace will make a very big difference and will yield better results. I did not get the impression Feivel was speaking to secular Jews or goyim. I think he was specific about who he was speaking to and why. And if you knew him, you would realize how silly some of your personal comments toward him really are.
But I digress (common for me). Regardless of the intent of the health care providers, and regardless of the way you present the facts, it is important to always remember the Torah view that we value every second of life and what we need to do to preserve it. It isn’t just two contrasting themes. Our way vs. their way. The Torah way is the right way, and the goyim may mean well, but where do you think this new way of thinking came from? This was NOT the norm years ago.
This new idea of killing off old people and feeling it is valid is pretty recent and something had to have set this horrible idea into motion. And it wasn’t kindness and concern that did it. It is a newer phenomenon in the American system to let old people die, to aid the terminally ill in assisted suicide, to abort fetus’ that may have abnormalities. You cannot argue that life is no longer valued to the degree it was even decades ago and it is certainly considered more optional sometimes. There had to have been some major underlying something that changed the view of mankind to demote the worth of the infirm.
I do whole heartily disagree with you about my dad’s situation as well because it IS super common, and your reasoning was off. If they were under the gun like that and had to make a decision I would agree that there need be criteria for that, but this was more like, “I would like to deprive your father of life right now, so that I can leave the blood in the fridge on the chance an O- patient MAY show up”. The ability to deprive someone of life for a MAYBE, and think it is a wise choice, is a whole new level for our system. No nurse twenty years ago would have ever had a thought like that cross her mind. You saved whomever was in front of you. And if you are frum, then you need to also believe that if Hashem wants the other patient to live, blood will show up for him too. That KNOWLEDGE should fill your head with room for nothing more! 🙂
And mind you it isn’t life potential that decides as they will give a well paying drunk a new liver before a medicaid young healthy father. When money starts influencing ones choices (and it must on some level because you yourself brought it in. Good points but money based none the less) then we have reached a new low. And where does “low” eminate from? That is the bottom, bottom line we as Jews need to remember as we start to defend the “valid points” of the healthcare views.
As an answer to your non question, I certainly would have given all my clothes, cars, food and home to keep my sisters or parents alive, even to sit near them while they lay comatose. Wouldn’t you?
Your points were good ones. Sorry my thoughts are not quite so organized