Title: Moral dilemmas that are acute within a religious tradition. A Jewish perspective.

POPLINE Document Number: 017021

Author(s):

Franck I

Source citation:

Hospital Practice, 1983 Jul;18(7):192-6.

Abstract:

A person faces a moral dilemma when he/she has to choose between 2 morally good alternatives that are incompatible. 5 problems that seem to typify the acute moral dilemmas that are the subject of onging controversy within the Jewish community are identified and discussed. These problems are the subject of controversy not only between rabbis of different denominational or ideological religious movements in Judaism but even within each individual religious movement. An attempt is made to demonstrate the processes of ratiocination that lead some Jewish thinkers to take 1 position and others to take another position. As Tay Sachs disease occurs with a statistically greater frequency among Ashkenazic Jews than among any other group in the US population, the question is whether an effort should be made to contain this disease by lowering the frequency of Tay Sachs births. Although some Tay Sachs screening has been done in a number of communities, there has been sharp controversy as to whether screening that appears designed to achieve a good end does not also produce objectionable results, such as deep anxieties among the young people involved. Another problem is whether people should be deprived of the experience of marriage because they are mentally retarded, yet should the pool of retarded persons be increased. The problem of an affected newborn infant--one with spina bifida or Down's syndrome--who needs medical intervention for treatable problems is not so much a dilemma within Judaism but a conflict between the views of most Jewish thinkers and some of the prevalent ideas and practices in US culture. The painful dilemma is that if a couple has an affected newborn, should it be allowed to die to relieve the infant of years of pain and suffering, the parents of their painful burden, and society of its costs, or should there be adherence to the inflexible commitment to life that Judaism teaches. Considerable controversy exists among rabbinical authorities regarding the definition of death. Progress in medical technology has raised new ethical problems. The final controversial issue concerns prenatal diagnosis and amniocentesis. In Orthodox Judaism abortion is forbidden because the fetus is potential human life. It is not yet actual human life. When the pregnancy or the impending birth threatens the mother's life, it is mandatory to perform an abortion to save the mother's life. Amniocentesis can be viewed as a passageway to life, rather than as a gateway to abortion. In 95% of cases amniocentesis confirmed the presence of a healthy fetus.

Keywords:

Judaism
Religion
Ethics
Congenital Abnormalities
Mental Retardation
Abortion
Amniocentesis
Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities
Diseases
Intelligence
Personality
Psychological Factors
Behavior
Fertility Control, Postconception
Family Planning
Genetic Technics
Laboratory Examinations and Diagnoses
Examinations and Diagnoses