Jewish ethical teachings of Bioethics - Abortion, Euthanasia, and Organ Transplantation Flashcards
Ethics
The Halacha puts great value on what?
A person’s life, viewing it as having infinite worth
Is a fetus considered a child?
Within the Halacha, a fetus only attains the status of a full person at birth.
- The baby must be born first before it is viewed as a person
When is abortion permitted?
Often only when the mothers life is in danger, as Jewish law states it is mandatory for the mother’s life.
The Jewish belief in the sanctity of life means that?
Murder is considered a horrible act that has intense consequences.
Exodus 21:22
“Should men quarrel and hit a pregnant women, and she miscarries… he shall surely be punished”
Meaning of: “Should men quarrel and hit a pregnant women, and she miscarries… he shall surely be punished”
- Demonstrating the significance in the Jewish belief of the sanctity of life
- Further illustrates the importance of a mothers life as it emphasises a fetus is not yet a person
Leviticus 24:17
“If a man strokes down any human being he shall be put to death”
What is the meaning of: “If a man strokes down any human being he shall be put to death”
- illuminating the sanctity of human life
- Revealing that any act to hurt another is punishable by death
According to Orthodox Rabbi Davide M. Feldman
“In the rabbinic system… abortion is not murder. Nor is it more than murder”
According to Orthodox Rabbi Davide M. Feldman
“if a woman has [life-threatening] difficulty in childbirth, the embryo… should be dismembered… her life takes precedence over its life”
Researchers, Rami Khorfan and Aasim I. Padela stated
“Abortion of an unborn foetus is allowed if the mothers’ life is in danger”
Euthanasia refers to?
The act of ending a person’s life to end their suffering and pain.
Do traditional rabbinic authorities approve of euthanasia?
Traditional rabbinic authoritative forbid euthanasia, as it is seen as instigating the death of a terminally ill patient.
Ecclesiastes 3:2a
“There is a Time to Be Born and a Time to Die”
According to ______, one who kills a goses (a person expected to die soon) is a murderer
Talmud
According to Reform Rabbi Peter Knobel,
In cases where the pain experienced by a terminally ill patient decreases the ability to live, euthanasia may be permitted
What Jewish variants (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox) approve of Euthanasia?
What Jewish variants (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox) approve of Abortion?
What is passive euthanasia?
- The withholding or withdrawing therapy that can keep someone alive when no amount of it is going to prevent the death of the patient.
- Example: withdrawing treatment for a braindead patient, knowing they will not recover with treatment.
Why is passive euthanasia permitted?
- Passive euthanasia is seen as allowing natural process to go on, and is thus acceptable.
- Links to the belief in one God, as each person’s life is within God’s will, and if a person cannot recover from treatment, it is a sign that is it within God’s will that they shall pass.
What is active euthanasia?
- When a person gives something to a patient or person that brings about the end of life.
- Example: injecting someone with drugs to kill them
Kavod hamet is the principle belief of what?
Honouring the dead
The Jewish tradition considers what as one of the highest ethical obligations?
- Saving a person’s life is one of the highest ethical obligations
- Links to the principle belief of the sanctity of life
The Torah forbids what of a dead body?
The defilement of a dead body, the act of making something dirty or foul
When an organ is harvested prior to death, it is considered…
Murder, as something was done to bring about their death
Organ transplant is only acceptable to…
Save a person’s life
Organ transplant is wrong when?
It is used for experimentation
Brain dead means…
The brain is inactiveCardia
Cardiac dead means…
The brain is active but the heart is inactive
Orthodox Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits stated that…
The donation of organs by living donors is not viewed as obligatory because it can cause significant risk for the donor
According to the Talmud, saving a life…
Is equivalent to saving an entire world.
Rabbi Shlomo Minkowitz stated that…
There are “certain situations in which organs will be harvested”
