Just as the sanctity of human life deserves respect and legal protection at the onset of the life cycle, so too does it deserve respect and protection as the life cycle approaches its conclusion. Society's interest in the preservation of human life fully justifies the imposition of certain limitations upon the unfettered exercise of personal autonomy in health care decision making, including the right to obtain a physician's assistance in committing suicide. It further justifies the imposition of certain limitations upon a third party's right to make life and death medical decisions on behalf of an incapacitated patient. And it certainly justifies resistance to the effort in certain circles to achieve reform of the health care system through rationing of services that would leave the most vulnerable members of society without adequate medical protection. Family Values and Family-Friendly Policies Agudath Israel believes that government should weigh the impact of its policies on the viability of the traditional family unit.
Parents struggling to raise children are under a severe economic burden.
Agudath Israel fully supports recent proposals to target tax relief toward families with dependent children. A generous tax credit per child would enable parents to keep more of their hard earned dollars, and use those dollars to meet the basic needs of their families. There can be no better strategy for supporting hard-pressed American families. In a related vein, Agudath Israel supports policies designed to promote the health of pregnant women and children. As urgent a priority as it must be to provide health care coverage for the millions of Americans who have no health insurance, the urgency is compounded in the context of pregnant women and children.