Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-p566r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T01:39:38.441Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Israel: Bioethics in a Jewish-Democratic State

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2003

MICHAEL L. GROSS
Affiliation:
Michael L. Gross, Ph.D., is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
VARDIT RAVITSKY
Affiliation:
Vardit Ravitsky, M.A., is a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate Program in Bioethics, Department of Philosophy, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel, and Researcher at the Unit for Health Rights and Ethics of the Gertner Institute for Health Policy Research, Tel HaShomer, Israel

Extract

Unlike most Western nations, Israel does not recognize full separation of church and state but seeks instead a gentle fusion of Jewish and democratic values. Inasmuch as important religious norms such as sanctity of life may clash with dignity, privacy, and self-determination, conflicts frequently arise as Israeli lawmakers, ethicists, and healthcare professionals attempt to give substance to the idea of a Jewish-democratic state. Emerging issues in Israeli bioethics—end-of-life treatment, fertility, genetic research, and medical ethics during armed conflict—highlight this conflict vividly.

Type
SPECIAL SECTION: BIOETHICS NOW: INTERNATIONAL VOICES 2003
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)