Jewish and Catholic Bioethics: An Ecumenical Dialogue » (1st Edition)

Pellegrino, Edmund, PhD (Georgetown Univ); Faden, Alan , MD

Drawing on multiple interconnected scriptural and spiritual sources, the Jewish tradition of ethical reflection is intricate and nuanced. This book presents scholarly Jewish perspectives on suffering, healing, life, and death, and it compares them with contemporary Christian and secular views. The Jewish perspectives presented in this book are mainly those of orthodox scholars, with the responses representing primarily Christian-Catholic points of view. Readers unfamiliar with the Jewish tradition will find here a practical introduction to major voices of the Jewish tradition, from Spinoza to Jewish religious law (halakah). The contributors explore such issues as active and passive euthanasia, abortion, assisted reproduction, genetic screening, and health care delivery.

Offering a thoughtful and thought-provoking dialogue between Jewish and Christian scholars, "Jewish and Catholic Bioethics" is an important contribution to ecumenical understanding in the realm of health care.

Booknews

A subset of the contributions to the conference Jewish Biomedical Ethics: Comparison with Christian and Secular Perspectives, held in Washington, DC, in April 1996. The 11 papers consider such issues as active and passive euthanasia, abortion, assisted reproduction, genetic screening, and health care delivery. Orthodox scholars provide most of the Jewish perspectives; the Christian views are predominately Roman Catholic. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)