The impact of medical history on medical halakha

Abstract

Never before has a generation been privy to such rapid and extraordinary scientific advances. However, such change invariably spawns a multitude of ethical dilemmas. For the religious Jew, in particular, history has borne out that scientific advance begets halachic challenge. The response to halachic challenge has traditionally been reflected in the teshuvah or responsa literature, this literature being a product or collection of responses to individual questions. Today, the changes in science are so sweeping that many of the issues, such as genetic testing, are no longer person specific, but rather affect all members of the Jewish community equally. The conference format is therefore, in essence, a communal responsum.