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July 30, 2004/Av 5 5764, Vol. 56, No. 45
Experts address bioethics
VICKI CABOT
Contributing Editor
How does Judaism respond to expanding medical knowledge and cutting edge technologies - and how do we respond as individuals to both the promise and challenges of exciting, new discoveries?
Rabbis Elliot Dorff and David Feldman and Professor Laurie Zoloth covered the gamut of bioethical dilemmas, ranging from organ donation to genetic testing to abortion to stem cell research to AIDS, during a session titled "The Ultimate Reality Show: Jewish Bio-Ethics for a Changing World" at the 90th annual Hadassah convention held in Phoenix earlier this month.
Dorff, rector and professor of philosophy at the University of Judaism, emphasized that Jewish bioethics is governed by a clear imperative to choose life. As such, organ donation is viewed in terms of the benefits afforded the recipient rather than desecration of the deceased.
"It is a mitzvah to save a life," says Dorff. "It's a way to honor the dead."
Fears that resurrection of the soul would be impeded by organ donation are unfounded if one believes in God's ultimate power.
"God will have to do the (bodily) reconstruction," says Dorff. "God will provide."
Dorff applies his life-affirming standard to genetic testing and stem cell research, as well. Genetic testing allows parents to determine if they are carriers of devastat- ing genetically transmitted disease, such as Tay-Sachs. With new techniques, couples can investigate the genetic make-up of their offspring, even before they marry and have children.
Embryos can be created and tested before they are viable, thus sparing parents the wrenching choice to abort a pregnancy if a life-diminishing disease is detected.
Stem cells, which contain the essence of every part of the human body, too, are viewed within Dorff's pro-life lens. They hold the key to unprece-dented medical advance, cures for diseases ranging from heart disease to diabetes to Alzheimer's.
"If we can figure out how these cells turn on, then we can create tissue to repair damaged tissue in the body," he says. "And if we can figure out how these cells turn off, we might be able to get to the ultimate cure for cancer."
The stem cells are harvested from frozen embryos stored for possible in-vitro fertilization. Currently, if not implanted, the embryos are discarded.
Opposition to stem cell research comes from those against destroying the em-bryos in order to harvest the stem cell lines. Dorff is adamant that stem cell research is essential to pro-tecting and sustaining human life. He also notes that it is one issue that has support across Jewish denominational lines.
"If you never could believe that Jews could agree on anything, we do," he says. He urged delegates to lobby elected officials to sign the Specter/Harkin letter urging President Bush to expand federal policy on stem cells. Currently the federal govern-ment has severely limited its development. "Write your senators," he says.
Rabbi David Feldman, dean of the Jewish Institute of Bioethics, reiterated Dorff's call to embrace stem cell research. "We can conquer nature," he says.
Feldman described Jews as "pro-natalist," making a case for allowing abortion to protect the life of the mother and for technologies that treat infer-tility. "We are pro-life," he says.
Zoloth, director of the Center of Genetic Medicine at North-western University, was an articulate advocate for applying the Jewish standard of justice when considering how we allocate medical resources. She spoke eloquently about stemming the growing AIDS epidemic and providing for adequate health care for all Americans. She suggested that traditional Jewish values are critical in helping us confront troubling medical issues today.
"We live in fearful times," she says. "The Jewish future is achievable with acts of lovingkindness."
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