Decision Expected Wednesday in Life Support Case of Orthodox Jew in Winnipeg

By THE CANADIAN PRESS

WINNIPEG – Siblings fighting to keep their 84-year-old Orthodox Jewish father on life support were expecting to find out Wednesday whether a doctor can disconnect him without their permission.

It was 2 1/2 months ago that Justice Perry Schulman granted an injunction in Court of Queen’s Bench in Winnipeg that allowed Samuel Golubchuk to stay connected to a ventilator and feeding tube.

Several doctors at Winnipeg’s Grace Hospital have said Golubchuk has minimal brain function and his chances of recovery are slim.

Golubchuk’s adult children believe that pulling life support would be a sin under the Orthodox Jewish faith because it would “hasten his death.”

Two weeks ago, Manitoba doctors were given new rules by the College of Physicians and Surgeons governing how to decide to pull patients off life support.

Those guidelines say family members must be consulted if a patient is unable to communicate. However, doctors can make the final decision as long as a family is given a four-day notice of when treatment will end.