This may simply be a matter for the practical reason to decide what course of action to take in the future, in which case it is neither moral. Immanuel jakobovits scholarship specimen jewish studies. Immanuel jakobovits scholarship specimen jewish studies paper. Immanuel jakobovits, baron jakobovits 8 february 1921 31 october 1999 was the chief rabbi of the united hebrew congregations of the commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. In the view of judaism, all human rights and their priorities, derive solely from their conferment upon man by his creator. Responsa on medicomoral problems, by lord immanuel jakobovits pdf. Conservative and liberal approaches to the problem of abortion are oversimplified and deeply flawed. This leaves only the concern for the mothers safety as a valid argument in favor of abortions. Gad freudenthal hoboken, 1998, and the earlier aids jewish perspectives, a collection of statements by sir immanuel jakobovits, chief rabbi london, 1987. Sobran jeffrey hart editorial advisory board john t. The journal of feminist studies in religion, the oldest interdisciplinary, interreligious feminist academic journal in religious studies, is a channel for the publication of feminist scholarship in religion and a forum for discussion and dialogue among women and men of differing feminist perspectives. Through applying a form of rules in practice utilitarianism within the context of overall population policy, he provides a compelling ethical and legal framework for. Malcolm muggeridge papers microfilm edition wheaton.
Dr immanuel jakobovits, chief rabbi of britain and the. Jewish views on abortion by rabbi immanuel jakobovits abortion by rabbi david novak abortion in halakhic literature by rabbi david bleich abortion compiled by the jewish orthodox feminist alliance evangelium vitae pope john paul iis encyclical on. Abortion in jewish law, the structure of jewish law, 318. Abortion has always been a debate about whether ending a pregnancy is murder or a fundamental human right. Anyone who has read the famous oath of asaphjudaeus7thcentury. Dr immanuel jakobovits, chief rabbi of britain and the commonwealth, journal of a rabbi immanuel jakobovits on. Hence, from kants point of view, abortion is not ethical thing because it is a violation of human dignity to use fetus in ones own ways and people should not have such choices by law because it is contrary to universal law of nature.
Medicalhalachic decisions of rabbi shlomo zalman auerbach. Medicalhalachic literature in israel, 19481998, by rabbi mordechai halperin, m. His call in this sermon for proponents of the judaeochristian tradition to unite against the common foe of materialism, secularism, atheism and sheer paganism represents a dominant theme, to which he repeatedly turned throughout his period of leadership. Oct 10, 2016 kant never explicitly wrote about the ethics of abortion, so we do not know, but are left to conjecture. Some modern responsa on medicomoral problems lord immanuel jakobovits having written and lectured extensively on jewish medical ethics, i often receive personal as well as public enquiries for guid ance in this field, in addition to fairly frequent requests for articles. This includes a copy of his memorandum of aids, submitted by the chief rabbi to the. Abortion is defined as a deliberate termination of a pregnancy and it has been a realworld ethical issue for a long time.
An historical perspective part i donald demarco gives the historical record of the catholic churchs teaching on abortion, proving that the churchs teaching that abortion is a grave moral evil, has been clear, emphatic, and unwavering. Divide your time equally between them 15 minutes for each. Rabbi immanuel jakobovits, baron jakobovits 1921 1999. Partial birth abortion and the question of when human life. Shimon glick, lord rabbi immanuel jakobovits center for jewish medical ethics, joyce and irving goldman school of medicine, bengurion university, beersheva, israel gshimonatbgu. Wade decision, were claiming that the decision of whether or not to legally terminate a pregnancy should be left up to them. Autonomous morality according to kants ethical theory is morality that is created by man himself. This paper outlines the traditional jewish approach to medical ethics, as perceived by the chief rabbi of the british commonwealth, himself an academic specialist in this field. Jewish medical ethics a brief overview journal of medical ethics. Pdf the bioethical concept of life for life in judaism, catholicism. Partial birth abortion and the question of when human.
Library document the roman catholic church and abortion. Kant never explicitly wrote about the ethics of abortion, so we do not know, but are left to conjecture. Neither the question of the entry of the soul before birth nor the claim to salvation after death have any practical. Immanuel jakobovits, baron jakobovits 8 february 1921 31 october 1999 was the chief rabbi of the united hebrew congregations of the commonwealth from 1967 to. Medicalhalachic decisions of rabbi shlomo zalman auerbach 19101995, by avraham steinberg, m.
Jewish approaches to biomedical ethics phi 5317x fall semester, 1993 wednesday 1. Its editors are committed to rigorous thinking and analysis in the service of. Dilemmas in bioethics georgetown university press 1985 and immanuel jakobovits, jewish medical ethics bloch publishing co. The mainstream orthodox position on abortion is best summarized by rabbi immanuel jakobovits who writes. Rabbi balfour brickner, testifying in the senate in favor of liberal abortion laws. Sir immanuel jakobovits chiefrabbi ofthe brintish commonwealth. Contemporary jewish fiction on abortion university faculty for life. In this paper, i appeal to two aspects of immanuel kants philosophy his metaphysics and ethics in defense of abortion rights. Immanuel jakobovits, torah im derekh eretz, in the jewish legacy and the german conscience, pp. Heres a listing of rav nachum rabinovich zls english publications. He led britains jewish community for 24 years and was the first. Prior to this, he had served as chief rabbi of ireland and as rabbi of the fifth avenue synagogue in new york. According to immanuel jakobovits,78 jewish law has always been supportive of eugenic ideas.
Immanuel jakobovits, jewish views on abortion, in jewish bioethics 1979, p. As with many such philosophical discussions, the nature of the soul of a fetus in the womb becomes part of the secrets of god, but has no bearing. This noted work is the first comprehensive treatise on the subject and indeed on the history of religious medical ethics in general. The best i can come up with off the top of my head is that the kantian need for duty would call for a mother to protect her child at all costs, in. In judaism, views on abortion draw primarily upon the legal and ethical teachings of the. The link at the end of the thread is to a folder s of almost all the articles.
The categorical imperative can be defined as a way of evaluating motivations for actions. Jewish medical ethics a brief overview journal of medical. Kants categorical imperative and abortion west virginia. The bioethical concept of life for life in judaism, catholicism, and islam.
Immanuel jakobovits, jewish medical ethics, 332, n. Accepting that the moral status of the conceptus changes during gestation, the author advances a more nuanced perspective. While all major jewish religious movements allow or even encourage abortion in order to save the life or health of a pregnant woman, authorities differ on when and whether it is permitted in other cases. Prior to this, he had served as chief rabbi of ireland and as rabbi of the fifth avenue synagogue in new york city. The discussion topic was abortion, and how we might evaluate it from a utilitarian and a kantian approach. Immanuel jakobovits scholarship specimen jewish studies paper answer all four questions, which carry equal marks. Some of my responses have been featured in virtually every issue of. In judaism, views on abortion draw primarily upon the legal and ethical teachings of the hebrew bible, the talmud, the casebycase decisions of responsa, and other rabbinic literature. For further examples of jakobovits views on aids see his contributions in aids in jewish thought and law ed.
To the extent the maxim of the will on the basis of which you ask for abortion can be proved rational, i. While he did not advocate abortion, he did describe homosexuality as a grave departure from the natural. Gentleness and patience in the medical ethics decision. Rabbi immanuel jakobovits, former chief rabbi of great britain2, begins his discussion on abortion by making reference to the fact that physicians, prior to the roe v.
Abortion is the ending of pregnancy by removing a fetus or embryo from the womb before it can survive on its own. Jewish views on abortion case western reserve university. She could go, since she will have her own holiday house and garden, but she will need. Nov 08, 2009 abortion can be rational or irrational, that is, free or determinated. On divine command morality a forum of modern orthodox. Tracing the development of jewish and other religious views on medicomoral problems from antiquity to present day, it is profusely annotated by references to the original sources in religious, medical, legal and historical literature. About chief rabbi lord jakobovits lord jakobovits, a tall impressive figure, once described by a nonjewish admirer as having the presence of moses, confidently and eloquently stated the jewish view on issues affecting british society, and brought a religious perspective to areas previously regarded as being beyond the purview of clerical let. Dec 10, 2011 abortion is defined as a deliberate termination of a pregnancy and it has been a realworld ethical issue for a long time. Probability and statistical inference in ancient and medieval jewish literat.
One of the most vexing questions people ask me is what is your argument against abortion. Jakobovits to ask if he would consider updating it for us. Oct 14, 2009 rabbi immanuel jakobovits, former chief rabbi of great britain2, begins his discussion on abortion by making reference to the fact that physicians, prior to the roe v. Immanuel jakobovits on interfaith relations jewishnon. An historical perspective part i donald demarco gives the historical record of the catholic churchs teaching on abortion, proving that the churchs. Immanuel jakobovits, who has died aged 78, was perhaps the most unusual rabbi ever to have practised his calling in this country. Orthodox rabbi immanuel jakobovits argues that this crucial passage, by one of the most curious twists of literary fortunes, marks the parting of the ways between the jewish and christian rulings on abortion. Gentleness and patience in the medical ethics decision making. Immanuel jakobovits served as chief rabbi in britain between 19671991. With the rise in illegal abortions, there is increasing pressure for a liberalization of the existing laws. We got a copy, and were so impressed that we called dr. The talmud, followed by the great codes of jewish law, even enacted certain eugenic laws against marriages suspected to result in physically or morally diseased children.
Many kantian prolife philosophers argue that kants second principle formulation of the categorical imperative, which proscribes treating persons as. Rabbi jakobovits discusses the orthodox jewish position in contrast to the more. Nov 09, 2009 jewish views on abortion by rabbi immanuel jakobovits abortion by rabbi david novak abortion in halakhic literature by rabbi david bleich abortion compiled by the jewish orthodox feminist alliance evangelium vitae pope john paul iis encyclical on the value and inviolability of human life. In jewish law, the right to destroy a human fruit before birth is entirely unrelated to theological considerations. Immanuel kant was a german philosopher who was considered to be the main figure of modern philosophy.