Views

6 | APRIL 9 • 2020 

H

ere at the Jewish News, we’
re 
trying to strike a balance 
between serious and neces-
sary COVID-19 coverage and what 
the late, beloved children’
s PBS host 
Mr. Rogers would 
have called “look to 
the helpers” stories. 
Because there are 
always people who are 
helping.
How can we all be 
helpers? Of course, the 
No. 1 thing is contin-
ued social distancing practices. As 
much as you can stay safely inside and 
away from other people to avoid inad-
vertently catching or spreading the 
disease, you should. We also spotlight 
many local fundraising efforts, non-
profits and volunteer-run programs 
that are always in need of support —
both in print and online. But another, 
very easy thing you can do to be a 
helper is less obvious: Fill out the 2020 
U.S. Census. That’
s why we’
ve devoted 
our cover this week to it.
An accurate count of every 
Southeast Michigan resident will 
ensure future federal funding and 
fair Congressional representation. 
That helps during crises like these, 
when any and all available funds are 
desperately needed. On page 14, you 
can read about Oakland County’
s 
new interactive map of all confirmed 
COVID-19 patients by ZIP code. 
Having this kind of invaluable local 
information is only possible if resi-
dents take their role as U.S. citizens 
seriously and support our governmen-
tal institutions by doing things like 
filling out the Census. 
Even if you missed the April 1 
deadline, don’
t worry — you will still 
have an opportunity to be counted. 
Turn to page 10 for more information. 
And thank you for doing your part. 

guest column
Jewish Ethics in Medicine

Can you give experimental treatment
to terminally ill patients?

editor’
s note

Be a Helper

C

hloroquine, the 
anti-malarial drug, 
has been in the 
news as a possible cure for 
COVID-19. The efficacy 
of this drug is unproven. 
Only one 
promising 
study out of 
France has 
suggested that 
the drug, in 
combination 
with an 
antibiotic, 
might prove effective. Later 
studies have not confirmed 
these findings and, in fact, 
have shown no statistically 
significant change between 
current treatments and the 
drug combination. 
So we should not count 
our chickens before they 
hatch. In fact, there has 
actually been harm done 
through suggesting this is a 
cure: Two people used the 
drug to treat themselves, 
with one dying and another 
in serious condition. 
Physicians are hoarding 
the drugs, and people who 
need the pharmaceuticals 
for known treatments are 
not able to get it. 
In this pandemic that 
is unsettling the world, 
all hands are on deck to 
find a cure and a vaccine. 
The question is whether 
Jewish people can use 
experimental treatments. 
To answer this, one must 
first understand the Jewish 
view of medicine. 

“…Be fruitful and 
multiply: fill the Earth and 
subdue it, and rule over 
the fish of the sea, the 
birds of the sky and every 
living thing that moves 
on the Earth (Genesis 
1:28).” The obligation to 
“subdue it, and rule over 
[it]” empowers us to seek 
medical assistance (The 
Lonely Man of Faith by R. 
Soloveitchik).
In fact, the Talmud 
goes further, describing 
the need to seek medical 
intervention: “In danger, 
one must not rely on 
miracle” (BT, Kiddushin 
39b). The implication of 
these warnings is clear 
that one must do whatever 
is available and possible 
to try to intervene with 
known medicine and 
treatments. There is an 
inherent duty as a Jew to 
seek medical attention 
that is preventative and 
curative. 
Rabbinic scholars 
divide treatment into two 
categories: those that are 
refuah bedukah (treatment 
where efficacy is proven) 
and refuah she’
einah bedukah 
(treatment where efficacy 
is unproven). Proven 
treatments must always be 
used. For example, a person 
with strep throat must take 
appropriate medicine to 
cure strep throat. 
On the other hand, 
experimental treatments 
are not required to be 

used, as there is no known 
efficacy. The rabbis of 
the Talmud and later 
authorities believe a person 
should not intentionally 
place himself in danger; 
but if a person is going 
to die, the calculus shifts. 
In this case, experimental 
treatments are permissible 
but not mandatory. 
 Patients must be 
informed of the risks and 
benefits in order to make 
an informed decision on 
whether to partake in 
experimental treatments. 
In these trying times, we 
might hope for the miracle 
of a cure, but we must be 
careful not to cause harm 
through rash action. This 
is going to be a marathon 
and not a sprint for our 
physicians, nurses and 
researchers. Our Jewish 
values direct us to put 
our trust in researchers 
and scientists following 
best practices regarding 
experimental treatments, 
with the hope of finding 
a treatment that is refuah 
bedukah. 

Jill Abromowitz Gutmann is 
a Jewish bioethicist, Rebbetzin 
of Temple Kol Ami and mom to 
four daughters. She has worked 
as an ethicist for the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, 
the Israeli Ministry of Health and 
the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, 
Ohio, and has taught Jewish 
Ethics for Melton International, 
the Florence Melton Sc 
hool of 
Metro Detroit and of Auckland, 
New Zealand. 

Jill Gutmann
Special to the 
Jewish News

Andrew Lapin
Editor

