This book presents the discourse in Jewish law and rabbinic literature on bioethical issues, highlighting practical problems in their socio-historical contexts. Yechiel Michael Barilan discusses end-of-life care, abortion, infertility treatments, the brain death debate, and the organ market. Barilan also presents the theology and spirituality of Jewish medical law, the communal responsibility for healthcare, and the charitable sick-care societies that flourished in the Jewish communities until the beginning of the twentieth century.

‘Jewish Bioethics brings rabbinic discourse, including many sources that are available only in Hebrew, to the attention of English-speaking Western readers. Dr Barilan clearly illustrates the relevance of rabbinic thinking to contemporary bioethical concerns. This book, which reflects Dr Barilan’s personal experience as a physician, his academic expertise in bioethics, and his deep understanding of rabbinic literature, will be a unique and valuable contribution to the literature on Jewish bioethics.’

Robert Perlman - Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago