From Rabbi Richard Address, director of the department of Jewish Family Concerns at the Union for Reform Judaism:

The month of September brings to the Jewish community the High Holidays, the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). These are holy days of reflection and renewal. They remind us that we are in a sacred relationship with the mystery of existence we define as God. One of the major themes we encounter in the prayers is the power of choice and the impact of those choices on our lives and those who surround us. One of the central readings for the holidays comes from the book of Deuteronomy and contains the famous phrase: “choose life.”
Which brings me to the current health-care debate, which has featured untold amounts of hot air, misplaced rhetoric, and political posturing. Somewhere, the individual and the family are being forgotten. Science has allowed us to extend life and brought us untold benefits and blessings. Yet, the age-old questions of meaning and purpose (the “why” questions!) still confront us.
Right now, countless families are having to deal with how to make decisions about end-of-life care for a loved one. This is often an older adult, often a parent. The gradual slide toward incapacity has begun. An advanced directive may be signed, along with a health-care proxy. Most likely, there will be a discussion with the physician about what the medical situation is. Hopefully, there also will be discussion with clergy regarding the spiritual issues involved and what the particular religious tradition has to say about this phase of life. These discussions can be empowering and meaningful for all concerned. Contrary to the scare tactics of some today, these discussions may help an individual deal with reality.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at hundreds of patients in New England who were involved in end-of-life counseling and conversations about their cancer. The research showed that providing this kind of care to dying cancer patients improved their mood and quality of life.
If it were you—or your mom or dad or spouse—would you not want an opportunity to discuss your feelings, your ideas, your hopes, and your fears? Must you? No. But making the opportunity more possible and available is a way of allowing people to make sacred choices about their own life. It is the higher calling.