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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