Received by e-mail (I plan to attend)
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, reception to follow
CLE credit available
To Be or Not to Be: The Convergence of Halacha, Law and
Medicine in Matters of Death and Dying
We live in an era in which cost-cutting in hospitals is now having a major impact on the health care provided to patients nearing the end of life, and we are seeing a shift away from the concept of patient autonomy toward the position that medical professionals should have the legal authority to make ethical and moral decisions regarding whether to provide care to patients at high risk of dying. The new ideology of “quality of life” has also resulted in an increase in disputes within families over what health care decisions should be made for those no longer capable of communicating their wishes. We are thus starting to see a sharp increase in litigation over these issues as society veers away from the traditional perspective of the sanctity of human life.
Members of the Agudath Israel of America legal network have been involved in a number of high profile cases in which the question of whether to provide a patient with a feeding tube or other life support has been battled out in courtrooms. This workshop will be based on some of those actual cases and will provide all participants with a solid understanding of the basic legal issues and arguments involved in these life-and-death cases. Our goal is to sensitize all those attending to this sort of litigation and provide enough information so that those interested in taking on such cases directly will have the know-how to do so.
Acted out in a mock trial followed by a Q & A
Participants
Judge: The Honorable Martin E. Ritholtz, Justice, New York Supreme Court, Queens County
Practitioner: Mark J. Kurzmann,
Principal, Kurzmann Law Offices, P.C.
Moderator and Practitioner:
Jonathan J. Rikoon, Partner, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Rabbinic Authority: Rabbi Zvi Ausch shlita,
Yoshev Rosh Bais Horaah d’ Karlsburg
Medical Authority: Dr. Leon Zacharowicz MD MA, Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
Medical Authority: Dr. Harold Bronheim MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, Board Certified in Medicine, Psychiatry, Geriatrics, Psychiatry of the Medically Ill, and Pain
To RSVP, please click here. For more
information, please contact Rivka Levenson
at 212-797-9000 ext. 335 or e-mail legalservices@agudathisrael.org
Location
Offices of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
919 Third Avenue
(at 55th Street)
35th Floor Conference Center
New York, NY 10022
Please bring a photo ID to gain access through building security
CLE Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has been accredited by the New York State and California State Continuing Legal Education Boards as a provider of continuing legal education. The program is being planned with the intention that its attendees qualify for 2 General CLE credit hours for their participation.
