The Resources on Medical Ethics on this page were collected by Jeffrey Spitzer for study purposes only. Mr. Spitzer encourages you to look directly at the sources cited by these Rabbis and scholars. He also strongly urges you to consult competent Halakhic authority before acting on any of the issues discussed herein.
Reproduction, Birth, and Circumcision
Birth Control (Responsum from 1927), by R. Jacob Z. Lauterbach
Artificial Insemination, by R. Solomon Freehof
In Vitro Fertilization and the Mitzvah of Childbearing, a CCAR Responsum
Artificial Insemination in Jewish Law, by Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
Assisted Reproduction and Judaism, by Miryam Z. Wahrman, Ph.D., M.D.
Anesthesia for a Berit Milah, by R. Solomon Freehof
Anesthesia and Brit Milah, by R. Vernon Kurtz
Test Tube Baby, by R. Walter Jacob
In Vitro Fertilization with Cousin's Ova, by R. Walter Jacob
Vasectomy, by R. Walter Jacob
Sterilization, by R. Walter Jacob
Genetic Technology
Judaism, Genetic Screening and Genetic Therapy, by Fred Rosner, M.D.
Genetic Screening, Genetic Therapy and Cloning in Judaism, by Professor Fred Rosner
Predetermination of Sex, by R. Israel Bettan
Genetic Engineering: Technology, Creation, and Interference, by Rabbi Shabtai A. Rappaport
Human Cloning - Scientific, Moral and Jewish Perspectives, by Avraham Steinberg, MD
Cloning People and Jewish Law: A Preliminary Analysis, by R. Michael J. Broyde
The Ethics of Cloning, by Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
Genetic Linkage Analysis and Probabilities of Genetic Disorders as a Reason for Abortion, a CCAR Responsum
The Breast Cancer Genes, by Miryam Z. Wahrman, Ph.D. (technical, not from a Jewish ethical perspective)
"The Use of Cryopreserved Sperm and Pre-embryos In Contemporary Jewish Law and Ethics" Richard V. Grazi, MD; Joel B. Wolowelsky, Ph.D., Assisted Reproductive Technology-Andrology, 8:53-61 (1995).
"The Preembryo in Halacha" Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz
"Cloning People and Jewish Law: A Preliminary Analysis" Rabbi Michael J. Broyde
"Stem Cell Research in Jewish Law" by Daniel Eisenberg, MD
Abortion
When is Abortion Permitted, by R. Walter Jacob
Abortion and Halacha, by Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
Termination of Pregnancy: Legal, Moral and Jewish Aspects, by Mordechai Halperin, M.D.
Abortion in the case of predictable birth defects, by R. Solomon Freehof
Abortion of an Anencephalic Fetus, by R. Walter Jacob
Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction In Halacha, by Daniel Eisenberg, MD
Partial-Birth Abortion, by Miryam Z. Wahrman, Ph.D.
Abortion to Save Siblings from Suffering , a CCAR responsum
Aids
Responsibility of an "AIDS" Carrier, by R. Walter Jacob
Aids: A Jewish Approach, by R. Yitzchok Breitowitz
Must a Dentist with Aids Inform his Patient, by R. Walter Jacob
Circumcision and Aids, by R. Walter Jacob
AIDS and Free Needles for Drug Addicts, by R. Walter Jacob
Testing for HIV before Marriage, a CCAR Responsum
End of Life Issues
Euthanasia, by R. Walter Jacob and committee
Halachic Issues Regarding the Futility of Medical Treatment: Applications To Nutrition And Hydration In The Terminally Ill Patient, by Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
Hospital Patient Beyond Recovery (Removing Nutrition and Hydration Tubes), a CCAR Responsum
A Discussion on Assisted Suicide between Chancellor Ismar Schorsch of JTS and Samuel Klagsbrun
Physician-Assisted Suicide, by Prof. Steven H. Resnikoff
Physician-Assisted Suicide, a Halakhic approach, by R. Yitzchok Breitowitz
CPR and the Frail Elderly, by R. Walter Jacob
Nutrition and Incurable Cancer, by R. Walter Jacob
Informing a Dying Patient, by R. Walter Jacob
Relieving Pain of a Dying Patient, by R. Solomon Freehof
Euthanasia, by R. Israel Bettan with discussion
Quality of Life and Euthanasia, by R. Walter Jacob
Allowing a Terminal Patient to Die, by R. Solomon Freehof
Living Will (Advance Directives), by R. Walter Jacob
An Elderly Patient who Refuses Dialysis, by R. Walter Jacob
On the Treatment of the Terminally Ill, a CCAR Responsum
Surgery at Ninety-Six, by R. Walter Jacob
Be'tzelem Elohim - In God's Image. Euthanasia - the Approach of the Courts in Israel and the Application of Jewish Law Principles, by Yaakov Neeman and Eliot Sacks
The Laws of Saving Lives: The Teachings of Rabbi S. Z. Auerbach, by Mordechai Halperin, M.D.
Of Life and Death: A Jewish Repsonse to Doctor Assisted Suicide, by R. Asher Lipner
Euthanasia, Physician Assisted Suicide and the Dying Patient: Medical Status, by Philippa Newfield, M.D.
Fateful Choices At The Bedside: A Comparative Analysis Of The Pressures To End Life In Pre-Holocaust Nazi Germany And In Present-Day Medicine. by Michael Thaler, M.D.
Quality of Life: Who Can Make the Judgment? by Neil Abramson, M.D.
"The Right to Die: A Halachic Approach" Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz
End of Life Choices in Halacha Daniel Eisenberg, MD
Honoring the Dead (& Organ Transplants)
Autopsy, by R. Jacob Lauterbach
Autopsy for Future Knowledge, by R. Walter Jacob
Caesarean Section on a Dead Mother, by R. Solomon Freehof
Fetus Used for Experimentation, by R. Walter Jacob
Organ Transplants, by R. Saul Israeli
Banks for Human Organ Transplants, by R. Walter Jacob
Using the Blood of the Dead, by R. Walter Jacob
Fetus Kept Alive as a Source for Organs, by R. Walter Jacob
Surgical Transplants, by R. Solomon Freehof
The Use of the Cornea of the Dead, by R. Solomon Freehof
Selling A Human Kidney for Transplant, by R. Walter Jacob
Freezing Bodies for Later Revival (Cryobiology), by R. Solomon Freehof
"The Brain Death Controversy in Jewish Law" by Rabbi Yitzchok A. Breitowitz
Professional Ethics for Doctors:
The Role of a Physician in Jewish Law, by Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
The Obligation to Heal, by R. David Fink
Professional Confidentiality in Jewish Law Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
Privacy and the Disclosure of Personal Medical Information, a CCAR Responsum
Physician Keeping Truth from a Patient, by R. Walter Jacob
Managed Care: A Contradiction or Fulfillment of Jewish Law?, by Fred Rosner, M.D.
Is Managed Care Unethical? , by Daniel Eisenberg, M.D.
Moral Dilemmas Faced by Jewish Doctors During the Holocaust, by Michael Nevins, M.D.
Physicians and Indigent Patients, a CCAR Responsum
Choosing Which Patient to Save, by R. Solomon Freehof
Damages for a Physician's Error, by R. Walter Jacob
Medical Confidentiality, Malpractice, and Moral Responsibility, a CCAR Responsum
Silent Partners in a Medical Practice, by R. Walter Jacob
"The Ethics of Using Medical Data From Nazi Experiments" Baruch C. Cohen
Physicians' Strikes and Jewish Law, by Fred Rosner, M.D.
Consent for a medical operation, by Walter Jacob.
Acting Against Medical Advice by David Fink
Testing Emergency Medical Procedures Without the Consent of the Patient , by Walter Jacob.
Risky medical procedures, by Daniel Eisenberg.
Medical experimentation, by R. Walter Jacob.
A Dangerous medical experiment, by R. Walter Jacob.
Medical Informed Consent in Jewish Law - from the Patient's Side Daniel Eisenberg, MD
"Dental Emergencies on the Sabbath" by Rabbi Moshe David Tendler and Dr. Fred Rosner
"The "Halachic Health Care Proxy" Insurance Policy With Unique Benefits" by Chaim Dovid Zwiebel
Miscellaneous
The Thirteen Principles of Jewish Medical Ethics, by Harofei Yaakov Ben Ben-Tzion Halevi
Daily Prayer Of A Physician, attributed to Moses Maimonides
The Sanctity of the Human Body, by Daniel Eisenberg, MD
Community Responsibility to the Disabled, a CCAR Responsum
Handicapped Access, by R. Walter Jacob
Drugs to Relieve Pain, by R. Walter Jacob
Use of Drugs for "Pleasure", by R. Walter Jacob
Responsum on Smoking, a CCAR Responsum
Cosmetic Surgery, by R. Solomon Freehof
Cosmetic Surgery, a CCAR Responsum
"How A Rabbi Decides A Medical Halacha Issue" Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz
Last updated: Feb 28, 2000