A decision by Toronto's Orthodox rabbis' council has sparked a heated religious and public debate across Canada over how Jewish communities should respond when a patient chooses physician-assisted death. According to CJN, the council recently adopted a strict policy opposing the practice, including significant restrictions on the religious services available to patients who die through assisted dying.
Under the policy, the council's rabbis will not participate in the funerals of patients who chose euthanasia and will generally refuse permission for such individuals to be buried in cemetery sections affiliated with Orthodox synagogues. The decision comes amid a significant increase in the use of medical assistance in dying in Canada. According to Canadian health data cited in the report, approximately 5,000 Ontario residents chose medical assistance in dying in 2023. Since Canada legalized the procedure roughly a decade ago, more than 75,000 people have chosen it, and assisted deaths now account for more than 5% of all deaths in the country.
The Orthodox rabbis' council described the practice as "euthanasia by doctors" and said its policy was intended to prevent what it considers an impermissible practice from becoming normalized within the Jewish community. Rabbi Yosef Uziel, the council's spokesman, said the decision followed extensive discussions intended to uphold Jewish law while maintaining sensitivity toward those involved.
The policy quickly drew criticism from other Jewish organizations. The Toronto Council of Rabbis, which includes 56 rabbis representing different Jewish denominations and movements, issued a response calling the Orthodox council's decision "surprising" and "too harsh." While the council said it does not support euthanasia from a Jewish legal perspective, it said its rabbis would continue to provide spiritual support to families, conduct funerals, and participate in shiva.
"These people are patients who need compassion, and we will be there for their families in their difficult hour," the council said. It warned that a rigid policy could unfairly hurt grieving relatives who may have had no role in the patient's decision.
Opposition to the policy has also emerged from within the Orthodox community. Rabbi Reuven Poupko of Montreal said that while Jewish law fundamentally prohibits euthanasia and considers it equivalent to murder, he opposes blanket punitive measures against families. Poupko argued that patients who choose assisted dying may be experiencing extreme medical circumstances as well as severe physical and psychological suffering. For that reason, he said, the deceased should not be stigmatized and their children and relatives should not be punished following their death.