MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH

Modern Jewish Medical Ethics

          The average life span of American men and women in 1900 was approximately forty to forty-five years; now it is almost twice that.  Much of the difference can be attributed to public health measures such as indoor plumbing, proper handling of food, and health education; some of the same preventive health measures, in fact, prescribed by ancient Jewish texts.  But what about the incredible medical breakthroughs of today, like genetic

engineering, in-vitro fertilization, and cloning, as well as the ability and choice to prolong life?

          While these breakthroughs transform both life and death, they also raise difficult questions.  How do we decide which treatments to accept as appropriate in the face of Jewish tradition and which to reject?  As Dr. Elliot Dorff points out, Jewish law and ethics, which stem from the ancient teachings of the Talmud, do not directly address these modern issues.  Jewish tradition can, however, be used as a foundation on which to build a contemporary perspective and understanding of the dilemmas posed by modern medicine.

          In Matters of Life and Death, Dr. Elliot Dorff addresses this unavoidable confluence of medical technology and Jewish law and ethics.  Dr. Dorff, who has been studying and consulting on biomedical ethics for more than thirty years, discusses modern medical ethical dilemmas from a specifically Conservative Jewish point of view.

He includes issues such as artificial insemination, genetic engineering, cloning, surrogate motherhood, and birth control, as well as living wills, hospice care, euthanasia, organ donation, and autopsy.

          Dr. Elliot Dorff, a Conservative rabbi, served as a member of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 1993 task force on health care.   He has written numerous articles on Jewish thought, and is the co-author of Contemporary Jewish Ethics and Morality and A Living Tree: The Roots and Growth of Jewish Law.