A court ruled that a 13-year-old girl suffering from cancer must have her hand amputated – otherwise she will die. The ruling came after the girl’s mother refused to authorize the operation, claiming the only treatment her daughter requires is fasting and prayer.
Three months ago, the Ministry of Social Affairs’ legal adviser filed an urgent request with the Family Court, requesting permission to perform the urgent surgery.
In the petition, Dr. Dror Levin, director of the pediatric hemato-oncology clinic at the Sourasky medical center in Tel Aviv, wrote: “The girl suffers from an aggressive malignant tumor. Without treatment, it will spread to the soft tissues; beyond doubt, the disease is fatal in 100% of the cases – if not treated.”
Dr. Levin recommended a full amputation of the hand, which will give the girl a 60%-65% chance of recovery, and determined that without the amputation, she will surely die.
Social services reported that the girl’s mother, described as “a stubborn pious woman,” refused consent and cooperation with the hospital staff, claiming that the cure for her daughter’s condition is not medical treatment, but rather fasting and prayer.
According to social services, the mother – who has been raising the daughter on her own after the father died several years ago – refused to change her mind after hearing Dr. Levin’s prognosis, saying her daughter is “better off dead.”
Upon hearing her mother’s comment, the girl started weeping, but quickly accepted her verdict, saying “I understand I have no other choice.”
Even after receiving a second opinion from founder of “Ezra LeMarpeh” Association Rabbi Firer, who also determined the girl must undergo the surgery, the mother stood her grounds.
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4 Responses
It’s very sad that a mother thinks like this.
The daughter needs medical help and the mother probably psyciatric.
What I can’t understand is how it took the courts 3 months to come to this descision.
An alternative headline: Israeli court rules for teenage girl, and Torah. Discuss.
Be skeptical of anything YNET says about Orthodox Jews (just as you would be skeptical of anything Der Sturmer says about Jews). If she is a “pious woman”, then she follows some Rav/Rebbe/Hacham – who is not mentioned. Since YNET would never refrain from taking a potshot at a gadol, there probably isn’t one involved in the story, suggesting the woman is somewhat “nuts” – or perhaps there are other facts being left out.
Do you have any reputable sources for this story?
Leave it to a bubble head to compare YNET to a Nazi magazine. Insulting, disrespectful and stupid.