Hospice care: Jewish reservations considered in a comparative ethical study

Abstract

Hospice care, the origin and growth of which are described, now has its own regimen and philosophy of care. Elements in this were believed to be contrary to Rabbinic prescriptions for the care of the dying, particularly the duty to sustain hope. A philosophical study shows that the practice and Rabbinic principles are not necessarily contradictory. Beliefs about life, death and dying in Eastern religions, and in Christianity, are outlined to show that these too are compatible with the goals and methods of hospice care.