Is it permissible to lie to a patient?

Question:

Hello, I wanted to know if, for example, a doctor needed to tell a patient about their condition but due to their poor or frail state it would harm the patient (whether physically or mentally), should the doctor or family member lie to them about their condition, or should they tell them something that could lead to deterioration in the patient’s health? (and if it is possible to hear numerous opinions on this topic). The question and answer were first published on the Moreshet website.

Answer:

Hello,

For an abridged essay on this topic available on the internet, see: Revealing Information to a Patient. I agree with it completely.

In short, the position expressed within it: the starting point is that there is no ownership over the truth, and that we are obligated to provide a patient with information. From this starting point there are exceptions, which when fulfilled allow concealing information from patients, such as: a worry that their condition will definitively deteriorate and they will not recover, if they are unable to understand, etc. However, telling the truth is the starting point – from a fundamental, medical, psychological, and technical perspective (that it is impossible to hide).

All the best, and we should only hear good news,

Rabbi Yuval Cherlow,

Head of the Tzohar Ethics Center