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Your Jewish compass for navigating questions of Medical Ethics

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4 Wednesdays - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

22 May 2024 - 12 June 2024

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Course Details 

 

LESSON 1

What is Judaism’s overall attitude toward healing? How far may we go in our attempt to heal or seek a cure? What degree of risk is acceptable in such pursuits?

 

This lesson clarifies that our quests for cures are fully compatible with faith in G-d, and that Judaism mandates health precautions and care as a religious obligation.

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The lesson then addresses the question of taking immediate risks to life in the pursuit of long-term healing. In principle, Jewish law endorses taking risks where there is the chance of long-term healing, but there are a range of views regarding the precise parameters of what level of risk is tolerable, and what circumstances are considered dire enough to justify such measures.

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LESSON 2

Is assisted suicide a legitimate course of action for an individual who endures tremendous suffering? What form of medical care should be provided to terminally ill patients?

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This lesson establishes the fundamental Jewish belief that human life is sacred, and that each moment of life pulsates with spiritual purpose and potential beyond its scientific measure. Jewish law prohibits assisted suicide and any act that directly invites death. At the same time, the Jewish approach also seeks to ameliorate pain and suffering, and points to instances in which we have no halachic obligation to administer certain treatments to terminally ill patients.

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This lesson provides practical spiritual tools for those facing end-of-life hardships, and guidance on supplying advance medical directives to ensure a patient receives treatment that accords with their moral and religious beliefs.

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LESSON 3

Does Judaism consider a fetus a living being? Under what conditions might Jewish law sanction an abortion?

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This lesson discusses the Jewish belief that a fetus possesses a soul, and analyzes the disagreement between authorities of Jewish law as to whether the soul’s presence imbues a fetus with a status similar to an already-born human. There is consensus among all authorities that an abortion is considered a grave measure, and under typical circumstances it is a strictly prohibited act. On the other hand, when a mother’s life is endangered by her fetus, abortion can even become an absolute halachic obligation. The lesson discusses halachic views that permit abortion in additional extreme circumstances.

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LESSON 4

Judaism famously lends significant sanctity to human life, but what does it say about a human corpse? Does the sanctity persist after death? Is it permissible to donate a body to science?

This lesson explores the Jewish principle that the human body is sacred
in life and also in death. Judaism teaches that both body and soul are considered delivered to a person as Divine deposits, and that when G-d reclaims an individual’s breath of life, we are expected to return their body to the soil (from which humans were originally formed) as complete as possible, and without undue delay. Jewish law mandates that a human cadaver be treated with utmost dignity and respect after death, and—subject to certain limited exceptions—generally prohibits autopsies. Donating a body to science denies the body burial, and is similarly proscribed.