Are we allowed to ‘pull the plug’ of life support?

In general, the answer is negative. Judaism places an extremely high value on life. A person’s life is not his own, but is given him on loan by the Creator, and only He has the right to decide when to take the soul back.

Detaching a person from life support mechanisms of necessity invites and brings closer the moment of death, and thus is considered murder. Even if the patient requested this himself, it is forbidden, since a person is also forbidden to take his own life.

In the event of brain death, there are differing opinions among Halachic authorities as to whether the patient is considered to be alive or dead. In such a case, G-d forbid, a rabbi who is expert in the field should be consulted.