Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. took the family of a 12-year-old Orthodox Jewish boy on life support to court yesterday.
Motl Brody’s family wants to keep their brain-dead son on mechanical assistance for religious reasons, but the hospital said its resources are being used to preserve a deceased body. The case is currently disputed in the D.C. Superior Court.
Mr. Brody, under care for brain cancer, was pronounced dead Tuesday night after tests showed no signs of brain activity. His family said their Orthodox Jewish faith does not define death as cessation of brain function alone. The hospital argued that Mr. Brody is dead, and no religious principle can deny that.