Winnipeg, Canada – A Winnipeg judge has ruled that an 84-year-old Orthodox Jew will remain on life support until a dispute over whether a doctor can disconnect him without the family’s permission can go to trial.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The adult children of Samuel Golubchuk want him to stay connected to a ventilator and feeding tube because it would be a sin under his faith to “hasten his death.” But several doctors at Winnipeg’s Grace Hospital have said Golubchuk has minimal brain function and his chances of recovery are slim.
Justice Perry Schulman of Court of Queen’s Bench granted the family an injunction 2 1/2 months ago so he could hear arguments on both sides.
He now says the matter needs to go to trial because there was no mediation available to the family at the hospital to help resolve the dispute.
He says he would make himself available for a trial as soon as possible.
Interesting to note that VIN News profiled this case a few days ago, since the online Save Sam Golubchuk! petition has picked up steam, with nearly 2,500 signatures to date from people all over the world.