2013
Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The Cambridge Textbook of
Bioethics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES IN
BIOETHICS
 nowadays, there is a divide between the
moral values of clinicians and those of
their patients
 religious traditions should have a voice but
not a veto
 clinicians are bound by their own moral
convictions, professional ethics, often by
mission statements of the healthcare
institutions where they work, and by law
 there are patients who are often very
much misinformed about what their own
tradition teaches about a particular moral
issue.
 there are even times when so-called
„religious“ position masks psychological
pathology
JEHOWAH´ WITNESS
BIOETHICS
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbooksofbioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 religion founded in the late nineteenth
century in Pennsylvania, USA
 the current JWs do not consider
themselves as a Christian denomination
 there are fundamental differences in theology
from traditional christian faiths
 cca 6,5 milions of baptized followers
 the religious life of JWs is centered around
five religious meeting every week and
door-to-door preaching („field activity“)
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 each JW is required to report monthly the
time spent for preaching activity and the
amount of literature distributed
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 the following are strictly prohibited:
 participation in politics and the military
 association with other religions
 celebrations of holidays and birthdays
 pledging allegiance to a national flag
 singing a national anthem
 smoking
 medical use of certain blood products
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 JWs also must shun excommunicated
(„disfellowshipped“) members including
those who willfully accepted forbidden
blood products, and opposing former
members („apostates“)
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 this world is currently in the „Last Days“ awaiting
imminent Armageddon or cataclysmic destruction of the
present system
 the Last Days started in 1914 and WTS (Watchtower
Bible and Tract Society) has predicted different years
as the starting year of Armageddon, including 1918,
1920, 1925 and 1975
 in 1995 they finally abandoned the previous practice of
predicting specific years
 nonetheless, Armageddon is still imminent in the near
future, a literal destruction of this system is inevitable,
and only the faithful JWs will survive and live forever in
paradise on earth.
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 JWs do not believe in immortal souls
 instead, their future hope is their physical
survival of Armageddon to enter paradise on
earth
 or, if they die before Armageddon arrives,
ressurection in fresh bodies
 since entry into paradise depends on conduct
in this world, the most important concern is to
work hard to fulfill Jehovah´s requirements,
which include strict adherence to teachings
of the WTS and dedication to preaching
activity
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 violations of the religious rules are one of
the worst offences, which disqualify JWs
from survival in paradise
 many JWs even postpone childbearing
until after Armageddon (WTS,1998)
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 the refusal of blood products
 the doctrine had not existed until 1945
 1951: the doctrine was firmly established based
on three biblical passages (Gen 9,4; Lev 17,12;
Acts 15,28.39)
 various medical and surgical procedures that take
out blood and return it to circulation, such as
heart-lung machine and hemodilution were also
prohibited
 in the 1960s and 1970s the WTS gradually
introduced exceptions to the rules, allowing use of
serum and hemophiliac clotting factors
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 1981:
 autologous blood
could not be used
 hemodilution was
objectionable
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 hemodialysis, heart-lung machine and
intraoperative salvage were acceptable
 all plasma fraction were now permitted
 2000:
 the WTS announced, that hemoglobin
products were now permissible, retracting their
long-standing prohibition against the medical
use of human or animal hemoglobin, a policy
that had been restated as currently as 1998.
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbook of bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 another change involves transfusion of
autologous blood.
 Prior to 2000, the WTS prohibited transfusion of
autologous blood that had been removed from a
JW´s circulatory system.
 As of 2000, the WTS permits JWs to accept
autologous transfusionsof blood so long as the
collection and re-infusion is part of what its policy
calls „current therapy“
 the only difference between now permitted
hemodilution and still prohibited autologous
transfusion is whether the infused blood is
collected intraoperatively or preoperatively
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridge Textbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 2004
 prohibition of the whole blood and „primary“
components
 red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and
plasma
 whereas „fractions“ derived from the primary
components are now all acceptable
 however, such a distinction between „primary“
component and „fractions“ is not universally
defined
 for example, red blood cells are still prohibited, but
hemoglobin (98 % of dry weight) is now permitted
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridgeTextbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 2004
 the removal and return of own blood for „current
therapy“ is permitted, but the same procedure for
future therapy is prohibited
 transplantations, including bone marrow
transplantations are accepted.
 Apparently, the WTS is not concerned about the fact
that bone marrow contain numerous immature as
well as some mature blood cells
 JWs are unable to articulate why one is
acceptable and the other unacceptable, other than
saying „the Society (WTS) said so.“
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridge Textbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 the fundamental moral principe is to
respect autonomous wishes of the
individual person, but not necessarily her
religion
 it is critical to maintain an open-minded
attitude and discuss the patient´s personal
conviction rather than obediently following
the guidlines published by WTS
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridge Textbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 JW patients show many different
reactions, f.e.:
 to decline every possible treatment that has
anything to do with blood, even if some of
them are recently permitted by WTS
 to leave their decisions to the congregational
officials. Many JW patients call in special
elders of their congregations or „the hospital
liaison committee“
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridge Textbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 other JW patients are willing to accept some of
the prohibited blood products based on theor
own interpretation
 f.e. some JWs may know that platelets are, in
fact, a very small fraction, much smaller than
permitted albumin, and may conscientiously
accept it.
 others may have been sceptical about the
blood policy all along. Such JWs might be
willing to accept prohibited products under
strict confidentiality
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridge Textbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 in an emergency when there is no current
advance directive avilable and the patient
cannot express her own wishes, it is legally
defensible to use whatever is necessary to
stabilize the patient´s life-threatening
condition first based on implicit consent
 while the Canadian court ruled that the „no-blood
card“ carried by exsanguinating and unconscious
JW could not be overridden even in emergency,
this ruling has been criticized because the card
was signed but not dated nor witnessed
Jehovah´s witness bioethics
Muramoto, O., (2008) Jehovah´s witnessbioethics. in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The cambridge Textbookof bioethics.Cambridge
University press, Cambridge. pp. 416-423)
 in recent years, the WTS is using more
formal advance directive forms in addition
to the „no-blood card“
 if a valid and adequately executed
advance directive is made available, it is
legally indefensible to override it even in
an emergency.
 "Parents may be free to become martyrs
themselves.
 But it does not follow that they are free in
identical circumstances to make martyrs
of their children before they have reached
the age of full and legal discretion when
they can make that decision for
themselves."

Prince v. Massachusetts, 321 US 158 (1944), at 170
Mallete Case
http://www.humanehealthcare.com/Article.asp?art_id=300
 June 1979: After a head-on automobile collision that
killed her husband, Georgette Malette, aged 57 years,
was rushed by ambulance to a hospital in Kirkland
Lake, Ont., where Dr. David Shulman attended her in
the emergency department.
 She had severe facial lacerations, multiple fractures of
facial bones and a constant stream of blood from nose
and mouth.
 She appeared to be in shock, was semiconscious and
was unresponsive to verbal stimuli; although she was
groaning, she uttered no coherent sounds.
 Since she was suffering from incipient shock secondary
to blood loss, Dr. Shulman administered glucose and
Ringer's lactate solutions intravenously.
Mallete Case
 At that time, a nurse called his attention to
a card that she had found in the patient's
purse.
 The undated card, which was signed by
Mrs. Malette, read across the top, "No
Blood Transfusion." It declared that the
holder was a Jehovah's Witness and that
"no blood or blood products be
administered to me under any
circumstances."
Mallete Case
 The patient was examined by an orthopedic surgeon,
who agreed with Dr. Shulman that it was vital to
maintain her blood volume to prevent irreversible
shock.
 However, the bleeding could not be controlled.
 As she was being transferred to the radiology
department, her condition deteriorated. When her
systolic blood pressure dropped markedly (below 50
mm Hg) and her breathing became increasingly
distressed, Dr. Shulman concluded that blood
transfusions were necessary to preserve her life.
 He accordingly proceeded to transfuse Mrs. Malette,
the Medical Alert card notwithstanding.
Mallete Case
 While Mrs. Malette was being transfused, her daughter (also
a Jehovah's Witness) arrived at the hospital. She objected
strenuously to the treatment and demanded that it be
withdrawn.
 Dr. Shulman refused to comply. Aside from his clinical
opinion that the transfusions were a vital part of treatment in
a life-threatening situation, his position was that he would
call a halt only if the patient herself gave an explicit
instruction to that effect. As he explained, for all he knew the
patient might have abandoned her faith before the accident,
might have signed the card under family pressure or might
accept blood if confronted with the likelihood that without a
transfusion she would die.
 In other words, he was not convinced that compliance with
the Medical Alert card would be in accordance with the
patient's wishes.
 Mrs. Malette's condition improved
overnight and the next day she was
transferred by air ambulance to a Toronto
hospital.
 By then further transfusions were not
needed, and she went on to recover from
her injuries.
Mallete Case
 Malette sued, alleging that the blood transfusions
constituted negligence, assault and battery, and
religious discrimination.
 The trial court held that the Jehovah's Witness card
validly restricted Shulman's right to treat Malette.
 The harm lies in the fact that the patient did not
consent to the treatment.
 The Supreme Court of Ontario affirmed the trial court's
judgment, concluding that Malette had informed the
physician of her objection to blood transfusions in the
only way she could. Absent some rationally founded
doubt as to the card's validity, Malette's instructions
stood.
Mallete Case
 The trial court rendered a $20 000
judgement in favour of Mrs. Malette
against Dr. Shulman.
 The defendant appealed but to no avail;
the Ontario Court of Appeal affirmed the
trial-court ruling.
Mallete Case: Court of Appeal
 In 1990 the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled
that physicians must honour Medical Alert
cards signed by Jehovah's Witnesses that
forbid blood transfusion under any
circumstances.
 "The principal interest asserted by Mrs.
Malette is in the freedom to reject, or
refuse to consent to, intrusions on her
bodily integrity."
Mallete Case: Court of Appeal
 "The right to determine what shall be done
with one's own body is a fundamental right
in our society. The concepts inherent in
this right are the bedrock upon which the
principles of self-determination and
autonomy are based."
In the hour when the Holy One Blessed Be He created the first man,
He took him and let him pass before all of the trees of the garden of Eden,
And said to him:
See My works, how fine and excellent they are!
Now all that I am going to create for you I have already created.
Think about this and do not corrupt and desolate my world;
For if you corrupt it, there will be no one to set it right after you.
Approximately 8th century.
JEWISH BIOETHICS
Which Morality?
 life becomes lifestyle and all morality a matter of
choice
 the orthodoxies of our time are that morality is a
private affair, a matter of personal choice, and
that the state must be morally neutral
 the gradual transformation by which sin
becomes immorality, immorality becomes
deviance, deviance becomes choice and all
choice becomes legitimate, is a profound
redrawing of our moral landscape, and alters the
way we see alternatives available to us.

(Sacks, J., (2005) The Persistence of Faith. Religion, Morality and Society in a Secular Age. Continuum, London, New York.,
p.17, 40, 50)
Which Morality?
 society is not just agglomeration of
individuals doing what they like so long as
they do not harm others.
 society means a community of ideas; without
shared ideas on politics, morals, and ethics no
society can exist
 for society is not something that is kept
together physically; it is held by invisible
bounds of common though
 if morality is a choice of individuals, it can
not longer be though as a code of a
society.
 if morality is private, there is no logic in
imposing it on society by legislation
"Reminder of the Origin"
 it is now forever looked for in the depth,
where formerly it was sought in the height
 Judaism places our moral decisions into
the context of a larger vision of the world
and our goals within it.
 Judaism thereby gives meaning to each of
our moral efforts and provides motivation
to meet our moral challenges
 Genes do not make decisions. But we are
free; we do choose; we do make decisions.
 If the movements of the planets fail to obey
Aristotle´s law of circular motion, that is not
because they are disobedient but because
Aristotle´s law is wrong.
 But if human fail to obey te laws against
murder, robbery or theft, that is not because
there is something wrong with the laws but
because there is something wrong with us.

Sacks, J., (2011) The Great Partnership. God, Science and the Search for Meaning. Hodder &
Stoughton, London. p. 71
To be a Jew is to be beyond time
 God´s word is eternal
 certain things do not change
 values and principles and laws are
constant
 to be a Jew is to be beyond time
A Jewish Approach
 God created and therefore owns the entire
universe, including each person´s body
 God acquired possession of the world and
apportioned it to humanity, but God always
remains the master of the world (Artson. B.S. Our Covenantn with
Stones: A Jewish Ecology of earth. in Judasim and Environmental Ethics (2001) Yaffe, M.D., (ed.)
Lexington Books, Lnaham, p. 163)
A Jewish Approach
 and we therefore do not have the right
unnecessarily to destroy or dammage God´s
property , including even God´s vegetation
and inanimated property
 this obligation makes suicide an act of theft from
God, a violation of God´s prerogatives, and the
trespass of the proper boundaries between God
and human beings

(Dorff, E.N., (2003) Matters of Life and Death. A Jewish Approach to Modern Medical Ethics. The Jewish Publication
Society, Philadelphia, PA, p. 179)
 The God of Israel is the God of everyone,
but the religion of Israel is not the religion
of everyone.
 Through you all the families of the earth
shall be blessed - a sentiment that
appears no less than five times in the
book of Genesis.

Sacks, J., (2009) Future Tense. Hodder and Stoughton, London. p.95.
 Judaism teaches that God grants a place
in heaven to those whose religion is not
the same as ours. (...)
 Until we make theological space for the
other, people will continue to hate in the
name of the God of love, practise cruelty
in the name of the God of compassion,
wage war in the name of the God of
peace, and murder in the name of the God
of life.

Sacks, J., (2009) Future Tense. Hodder and Stoughton, London. p.111
 If there is only one truth, and you have it,
then others do not. They live in error, and
to save them from that error you can claim
religious justifcation for conquering,
converting or even killing them. That has
been the source of many crimes and
much imperialism in the past and present,
and that is why Judaism is a protest
against empires.

Sacks, J., (2009) Future Tense. Hodder and Stoughton, London. p.170
INFERTILITY
Infertility
 Happy are all who fear the Lord, who follow
His ways… Your wife shall be like a fruitful
vine within your house; your children, like
olive saplings around your table…
 children are an expression of God´s blessing
A Jewish Approach
Deut7, 12 - 14
 As one infertile Jewish woman written,
 „Fertlitity, it seems, is an integral component of
the covenant. Is barrenness, then, next to
godlessness? If you who are fertile have
received a sacred blessing, have we who are
not received a divine curse?“

(Dorff, E.N., (2003) Matters of Life and Death. A Jewish Approach to Modern Medical Ethics. The Jewish
Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, p. 42)
A Jewish Perspective
 people should, if at all possible, live in
marital partnership and have children
 if a couple cannot have children, the
commandment to procreate no longer
applies
 couples may consider adoption or use modern
technologies in an attemtp to overcome their
infertility….
 …but they are under no obligation to do so
A Jewish Perspective
 IVF (AIH), GIFT, ZIFT are licit
 but there is no Jewish obligation to use any of
these new techniques
 because abortions are generally prohibited,
Jews should have only two, or at most three
zygotes implanted for IVF or ZIFT and should
use only two, or at most three, eggs for GIFT
 if their attempts at having children with IVF
succeed, Jews may discard the remaining
embryos, because these embryos exist
outside the uterus
AID: Arguments Against
A Jewish Perspective
 AID severs the link between the procreation of children
and marriage
 it would pave the way to a disastrous increase of
promiscuity, as a wife, guilty of adultery, could always
claim that a pregnancy which her husband did not, or
was unable to, cause was brought about by AID, when
in fact she had adulterous relations with another man
 so it is a type of adultery
 diminution of the role of the father
 The generation of children would become arbitrary and
mechanical, robbed of those mystic and intimately
human qualities which make man a partner with God in
the creative propagation of the race
AID: Arguments Against
A Jewish Perspective
 children born through artifical insemination
(AID), like adopted cildren, may feel and say
that they would not be having such problems
if their real fathers were there
 if keeping in secrecy
 the secret of a woman´s donor insemination can
be revealed at any time in an angry moment
 relatives and friends who do not know about the DI
will quite innocently add to the man´s pain when
they talk about whom the child resembles
AID: Arguments For
A Jewish Perspective
 we do, after all, have many „blended“
families today where children are raised
by one biological parent and one
nonbiological parent
AID: Arguments For
A Jewish Perspective
 the Jewish tradition always valued
children
 couples who use AID will undergo
hardship that other couples need not
endure
 having and raising children is a
demographic imperative for the Jewish
community in our time

(Dorff, E.N., (2003) Matters of Life and Death. A Jewish Approach to Modern Medical Ethics. The
Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, PA, p. 81)
AID: Other Issues
A Jewish Perspective
 couples considering DI often want to make sure
that he is like them so that child will resemble
them
 that, for some, is a racist attitude
 the danger of a new eugenics
 it would be permissible to screen out, as sperm banks
usually do, donors with genetic disorders or other
diseases like HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, gonorrhea and
chlamydias, for those charactreristics of the donor are
likely to affect the physical health of the child
 but it would not be permissible to choose only those
donors with outstanding mental or physical traits. That
would be a step toward creating a master race.
EUTHANASIA
Pragmatism
Judaism
 American school of
 Judaism requires us to
pragmatism, its media and
even its recent welfare
legislation reforms would think
of ourselves in utilitarian
terms, with our worth being a
function of what we can do for
ourselves and others
 American attitudes and laws
thus permit suicide, especially
when a person can no longer
do anything useful for either
herself or himself or for others
evaluate our lives in light of
the ultimate value inherent
in us because we were
created in God´s image
 Jewish ideology and law
therefore strongly oppose
commiting suicide or
assisting others in doing
so, for life is sacred
regardless of its quality or
usefulness
Judaisms
 God created and therefore owns the entire
universe, including each person´s body
 and we therefore do not have the right
unnecessarily to destroy or dammage God´s
property , including even God´s vegetation
and inanimated property
 this obligation makes suicide an act of theft from
God, a violation of God´s prerogatives, and the
trespass of the proper boundaries between God
and human beings

(Dorff, E.N., (2003) Matters of Life and Death. Judaismus to Modern Medical Ethics. The Jewish Publication Society,
Philadelphia, PA, p. 179)
Judaisms
 Even though Jewish law goes quite far in
permitting terminally ill patients to die with
whatever palliative care they need and
without any other medical interference
 it does not permit suicide or assisted suicide
 the tradition maintains a firm line between
legitimately withholding and withdrawing
medical efforts on the one hand and
illegitimately helping a person actively to take
his or her life on the other
Judaisms
 the value of life does not depend on the
level of one´s abilities
 it derives from the image of God embedded in
us
 the tradition thus strongly affirms the divine
quality of the life of disabled people
 the Jewish tradition requires that we recognize
the divine aspect of people in the last stages
of life, regardless of the quality of their lives
OTHER REMARKS
Environmental Ethics
 our planet is not a mute „fact“, suitable only for
measurement, testing, and objectification
 full human relationship to the world is one n
which the earth is loved and cultivated, a partner
with Jews
 our behavior allows the earth to fulfill its
covenantal relationship, and our planet, in turn,
provides humanity with further grounds for
gratitude to God.

(Artson. B.S. Our Covenantn with Stones: A Jewish Ecology of earth. in Judasim and Environmental Ethics
(2001) Yaffe, M.D., (ed.) Lexington Books, Lnaham, p. 168)
 Alasdair MacIntyre once pointed out that there are two kinds
of atheist: one who does not believe in God, and one for
whom atheism itself is a kind of religion.
 Of the latter, some of the greatest examples were lapsed,
converted, or non-believing Jews - most famously Spinoza,
Marx and Freud. Instead of merely denying the truths of
Judaism, they set out to provide systematic alternatives.



Each sought to show that we are not free.
Man is a predictable animal.
Our nature and character are subject to quasi-scientific laws. There
is a science of human behavior and there is a science of atoms.
History, personal or collective, is a form of inevitability.
 We are what we are because we could not be otherwise

(Sacks, J., (2009) Genesis: The Book of Beginnings. Covenant and Coversation. Maggid Books
and The Orthodox Union. New Milford, USA, London, Jerusalem. p.70)
ISLAMIC BIOETHICS
 human beings are the crown of creation
 God´s vicegerents on earth
 they have responsibilities including
stewardship of other creatures, the
environment and their own health
 illness may be seen as a trial or even as a
cleansing ordeal, but it is not viewed as a
curse or punishment or an expression of
Allah´s wrath
 Hence, the patient is obliged to seek
treatment and to avoid being fatalistic
 life is sacred: every moment of life has a
great value, even if it is a poor quality
 prohibition against suicide or euthanasia
• if secular western bioethics can be
described as rights, Islamic bioethics is
based on duties and obligations
• abortion has been allowed after
implantation and before ensoulment in
cases in which there were adequate
juridical or medical reasons.
•
Daar,A.S., Bakdash,T., Khitami, A.B., (2008) Islamic Bioethics in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The
Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics. Cambridge University press, Cambridge. pp.408-415
 however, many Shias and some Sunnis
have generally not permited abortion at
any stage after implantation, even before
ensoulment, unless the mother´s life is in
danger

Daar,A.S., Bakdash,T., Khitami, A.B., (2008) Islamic Bioethics in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The
Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics. Cambridge University press, Cambridge. pp.408-415
Islam
 From a hadith we can learn that the
embryo becomes a person at 120 days:
Islam
• On the authority of Abdullah bin Masud, who said : the
messenger of Allah, and he is the truthful, the believed
narrated to us :
"Verily the creation of each one of you is brought
together in his mother's belly for forty days in the
form of seed, then he is a clot of blood for a like
period, then a morsel of flesh for a like period, then
there is sent to him the angel who blows the breath
of life into him and who is commanded about four
matters: to write down his means of livelihood, his
life span, his actions, and whether happy or
unhappy.
• (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Islam
 You can see that it is 40 day + 40 days +
40 days, when the soul enters the embryo
a person is created with a purpose in life.
Islam
• In principle, the Qur'an condemns the killing of humans
(except in the case of defense or as capital
punishment), but it does not explicitly mention abortion.
This leads Islamic theologians to take up different
viewpoints: while the majority of early Islamic
theologians permitted abortion up to day 40 of
pregnancy or even up to day 120, many countries
today interpret these precepts protecting unborn
children more conservatively.
• Although there is no actual approval of abortion in the
world of Islam, there is no strict, unanimous ban on it,
either. Islam has not given any precise directions with
regard to the issue of abortion.
•
http://www.islamawareness.net/FamilyPlanning/Abortion/abortion3.html
 full human life, with its attendant rights,
begins only after the ensoulment of the
fetus
 some Muslim scholars agree that
ensoulment occurs at about 120 days
after conception, while other scholars hold
that it occurs at about 40 days after
conception

(Albar, M.A., (1995) When is the soul inspired? Contemporary Topics in Islamic Medicine.
Ch.1.Jeddah: Saudi Arabia Publishing and Distributing House, pp.3-11
 abortion after ensoulment is strictly
forbidden by all islamic authorities, but the
vast majority do make an exception to
preserve the mother´s life
 If a choice has to be made to save either
the fetus or the mother, the the mother´s
life would take precedence
 she is seen as a root, the fetus as an offshot

Daar,A.S., Bakdash,T., Khitami, A.B., (2008) Islamic Bioethics in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The
Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics. Cambridge University press, Cambridge. pp.408-415
The Oath of a Muslim Physician
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In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, the Sustainer of His Creation, the All-Knowing.
Glory be to Him, the Eternal, the All-Pervading.
O Allah, Thou art the only Healer,
I serve none but Thee, and, as the instrument of Thy Will, I commit myself
to Thee.
I render this Oath in Thy Holy name and I undertake:
To be the instrument of Thy Will and Mercy, and, in all humbleness, to
exercise justice, love and compassion for all Thy Creation;
To extend my hand of service to one and all, to the rich and to the
poor, to friend and foe alike, regardless of race, religion or colour;
To hold human life as precious and sacred, and to protect and
honour it at all times and under all circumstances in accordance with
Thy Law;
To do my utmost to alleviate pain and misery, and to comfort and
counsel human beings in sickness and in anxiety;
To respect the confidence and guard the secrets of all my patients;
The Oath of a Muslim Physician
 To maintain the dignity of health care, and to
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honour the teachers, students, and members of my
profession;
To strieve in the pursuit of knowledge in Thy name
for the benefit of mankind, and to uphold human
honour and dignity;
To acquire the courage to admit my mistakes, mend
my ways and to forgive the wrongs of others;
To be ever-conscious of my duty to Allah and His
Messenger (s.a.w) and to follow the precepts of
Islam in private and in public.
O Allah grant me the strength, patience and
dedication to adhere to this Oath at all times.
CATHOLIC BIOETHICS
 we are stewards, not owners, of our own
bodies and we are accountable to God for
the life that has been given to us
 the suicide is not allowed, because suicide is
outside the authority of the individual to take
his or her life
 life is not an absolute value
Natural law
 life is the basic and necessary condition of
other goods, and human beings have an
innate desire to seek these goods
 such as sexual reproduction, social life and
knowledge
Ontological Personalism
 as long as there is a living body, even if
mental capacity is reduced or absent,
there is still a person present
 a human being is considered to be a
person from conception to the death of the
whole
 some issues, such as matters concerning
reproduction, are controversial even within
catholic bioethics
 the individual has a duty to promote his or
her own health
 the person does not have the moral right to
take serious risks to health
 but patients are obligated to use
measures within their financial means;
they are not obligated to reduce their
family to poverty in an effort to stay alive
 In 1956, the issue before society was the
use of artificial insemination, either by the
sperm of the husband or of a donor.
 At the Naples meeting, Pius XII took
occasion to oppose the use of artificial
insemination in any form and formulated it
in terms of reproduction being necessarily
within the scope of conjugal love.

Jones, W.H., (2012) Personhood Revisited. Reproductive Technology, Bioethics, Religion and the
Law. Langdon Street Press. Minneapolis, MN. p.121
Donum Vitae, 1987
 Donum Vitae
 this document is the first external Vatican
statement after the clinical application of IVF
and was intended to instruct the faithful about
the licitness of the clinical application of IVF.
 „Instruction Donum Vitae on Respect for
Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity
of Procreation“ called IVF and related
procedures „illicit“.
Unitive and Procreative Act
 human love should be both love-giving
(unitive) and life-giving (procreative)
 Humanae Vitae 1968:
 this connection between unity and procreation
was deemed "inseparable" and a requirement
in "each and every marriage act."
Catholic Approach
 a person is a "unified totality", and thus is
wrong to treat a person in a way that
reduces that person either mere body or
mere spirit.
 reproductive techonology leads us to treat
our bodies merely as a source of
gametes, and that so treating our bodies
is the first step to disembodying
procreation altogether.
Stanovisko katolické církve
Humanae vitae Encyklika Pavla VI.
o správném řádu sdělování lidského života
z 25. července roku 1968 čl. 12
 „Dva nerozlučné aspekty: spojení a početí života
 Učitelským úřadem vícekrát vyložená nauka se
zakládá na nerozlučném spojení dvojího významu
manželského styku, který je Bohem chtěný a který
člověk z vlastního popudu nemůže rozbít: je to
význam spojivý a plodivý.
 Manželský styk totiž svým vnitřním ustrojením
hluboce spojuje manžely a uschopňuje je k početí
nového života ve shodě se zákony, vepsanými do
samotné bytosti muže a ženy. Sjednocuje oba tyto
podstatné aspekty - aspekt spojení a početí. Je
projevem vzájemné a pravé lásky a je zaměřen k
význačnému povolání člověka k rodičovství.
Domníváme se, že lidé naší doby jsou zvlášť
schopni potvrdit hluboce rozumný a lidský charakter
tohoto základního principu.“
Dignitas personae
 In light of this principle, all techniques of
heterologous artificial fertilization, as well
as those techniques of homologous
artificial fertilization which substitute for
the conjugal act, are to be excluded.
 On the other hand, techniques which act
as an aid to the conjugal act and
 its fertility are permitted.
Dignitas personae
 Certainly, techniques aimed at removing
obstacles to natural fertilization, as for
example, hormonal treatments for
infertility, surgery for endometriosis,
unblocking of fallopian tubes or their
surgical repair, are licit.
Dignitas personae
 ICSI
 Just as in general with in vitro fertilization, of which it is a
variety, ICSI is intrinsically illicit: it causes a complete
separation between procreation and the conjugal act.
 zmražení embryí
 Cryopreservation is incompatible with the respect owed
to human embryos; it presupposes their production
in vitro; it exposes them to the serious risk of
death or physical harm, since a high percentage
does not survive the process of freezing and
thawing; it deprives them at least temporarily of
maternal reception and gestation; it places them
in a situation in which they are susceptible to
further offense and manipulation
Dignitas personae
 In this regard it needs to be stated that
cryopreservation of oocytes for the
purpose of being used in artificial
procreation is to be considered
morally unacceptable.
Dignitas personae
 The proposal that these embryos could be put
at the disposal of infertile couples as a
treatment for infertility is not ethically
acceptable for the same reasons which make
artificial heterologous procreation illicit as well
as any form of surrogate motherhood
H. Jones
 The answer is that the pill is „unnatural“,
therefore alien to God´s laws. But certainly
prohibiting intercourse in a marriage
blessed by true conjugal love is unnatural.

Jones, W.H., (2012) Personhood Revisited. Reproductive Technology, Bioethics, Religion and the
Law. Langdon Street Press. Minneapolis, MN. p.79
END OF LIFE
Preparation for Death
 The Sacrament of
the Anointing of the
Sick
 The Sacrament of
the Anointing of the
Sick
 viatikum
Catholicism
 Role of suffering:
 Down through the centuries and generations it
has been seen that in suffering there is
concealed a particular power that draws a
person interiorly close to Christ, a special grace.
Pope John Paul II: Salvifici Doloris, 1984
 We should relieve suffering when we can, and be with
those who suffer, helping them to bear their suffering,
when we can't. We should never deal with the problem of
suffering by eliminating those who suffer.
 catholic patients may appreciate various
kinds of spiritual aid and support at the
end of life, be it psychological support or
the offering of Holy Communion, the
Sacrament of Reconciliation, or the
Sacrament of the Sick
 it is appropriate to call a priest on behalf of
Catholic patients when death is imminent
Ordinary and Extraordinary measures
 ordinary means of preserving life are all
medicines, treatments and operations which offer
a reasonable hope of benefit for the patient and
whih can be obtained and used without excessive
expense, pain or other inconvenience
 extraordinary means of preserving life mean all
medicines, treatments, and operations, which
cannot be obtained without excessive expense,
pain or other inconvenience, or wghich, if used,
would not offer a reasonable hope of benefit

(Markwell, J.H., Brown, B.F., Roman Catholic Bioethics in Singer, P.A., Viens, A.M., (eds.) The
Cambridge Textbook of Bioethics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. pp.436-441)
PROTESTANT BIOETHICS
 many different Christian denominations
with a wide rangeof beliefs
 origin in the Reformation of the 16th
centuiry
 there is no such thing like „protestant
bioethics“
 some Anglican churches are very close
theologically to the Catholic Church
 others have adopted different positions
 Protestant influence on Western culture:
 principle of autonomy
 value of individual freedom
 earthly authorities are fallible and believers
should read and understand the scripture
themselves
 and many others
 attention to social inequities (Salvation
Army)
 every person has been made in the image
of God
 there is a greater meaning or purpose in
illness of which we may not be aware
 conservative groups arae among the most
active in pro-life movement
 some liberal denominations are pro-choice
 some may object to IVF because of the
potential for embryo wastage
 many would consider this an option if they
were infertile
BUDDHIST BIOETHICS
Buddhism
 there is no central authority competent to
pronounce on matters of doctrine or ethics
Buddhism
 Buddhism emphasises the importance of
death with an unclouded mind wherever
possible, because it is believed hat this can
lead to a better rebirth.
 Some buddhists may therefore be unwilling
to take pain-relieving drugs or strong
sedatives, and even those who are not in a
terminal condition might prefer to remain as
alert as possible, rather than take analgesics
that would impair their mental or sensory
capacities.

Keown, D., End of Life: The Buddhist View. The Lancet 366 (2005): 952-55.
Buddhism
 Death is an integral part of life, and by
virtue of their belief in rebirth, Buddhist
believe that death is an experience they
will undergo many times.
 Euthanasia is rejected by most buddhists
as contrary to the First Precept, which
prohibits intentional killing.

Keown, D., End of Life: The Buddhist View. The Lancet 366 (2005): 952-55.
Buddhism
 However, in this respect, Buddhism
adheres to the principle of the middle way
(majjhima patipada), and the prohibition
on euthanasia does not imply a
commitment to vitalism, namely the
doctrine that life should be prolonged at all
costs. The withdrawal of medical
intervention when the end is nigh is
accordingly not seen as immoral.

Keown, D., End of Life: The Buddhist View. The Lancet 366 (2005): 952-55.
HUMAN SOCIETY NEEDS
RITUALS...
Palm Sunday
Initiatory Ceremony
Hierarchy
Corpus Domini