The Jewish View on Euthanasia: Why Taking Life Isn't an Act of Mercy

In most countries around the world, active euthanasia is considered morally unacceptable and is rejected due to ethical concerns and the sanctity of life. In such cases, the patient is unconscious, and the decision to end their life is made by family members or a legal guardian. This is not the same as withholding life-prolonging treatment from a terminal patient, but rather active euthanasia, which involves taking direct action to cause death, such as injecting a lethal substance.

Countries like the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium are exceptions, where so-called “mercy killing” has been legalized, even for children. Into this slippery slope of life-ending practices entered the reckless and morally outrageous initiative of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, known as the creator of the “suicide machine.” This device, his own invention, was used to assist in the deaths of dozens of patients seeking voluntary euthanasia. After a long legal battle, he was eventually convicted of second-degree murder and served eight years in prison before his release.

Advocates of euthanasia often argue that a person has the right to control their own body. This same ideological root is used to justify the termination of fetuses, especially in cases where a young woman believes that having a child would ruin her life. From a purely logical standpoint, this may seem reasonable. Even Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik (known as "Reb Chaim of Brisk"), one of the leading Torah scholars of the 20th century, acknowledged that from a purely rational view, one might argue that murder could be justified for the greater good. However, he emphasized that only the Torah reveals that murder is intrinsically wrong (see Meorei HaMo'adim, p. 88).

Those who support euthanasia or any form of ending life prematurely reveal a lack of recognition of the Creator's authority. According to Judaism, G-d is the one who entrusts the body to a person during their life, and only He has the right to reclaim the soul and return the body to the earth. In truth, a person is not the master over their own body.

The Torah teaches that each person is sent to this world with a mission and purpose that they must fulfill. Sometimes, part of the soul's correction (tikkun) involves enduring suffering or illness for reasons that are hidden and known only to G-d. Once the correction is complete, the soul merits a high and perfect portion in the World to Come, but cutting short a person’s life prevents the soul from reaching its completion. G-d determines the exact day, hour, and manner of a person's death according to a precise calculation for the soul's ultimate benefit. Any human interference in this process harms the soul’s eternal welfare, and there is therefore no “kindness” in such an act.

Life in this world is not the primary goal of the soul, but rather a means to attain the eternal World to Come. This world is a place of trial, challenge, and spiritual labor, where a person perfects their soul through Torah, mitzvot, moral choices, and endurance through hardship. Eventually, the soul receives its eternal reward. Taking a life prematurely damages this process and can even cause a soul to need to return in a new reincarnation (gilgul) to finish its correction, which is a deeply painful process for the soul.