Jewish Bioethics Quiz

When Jewish thinkers consider issues like euthanasia, abortion, and organ donation, they articulate diverse positions on the relationship between Jewish law, Jewish ethics, and secular ethics. How much do you know about Jewish bioethics?

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Question 1. According to the Talmud, when does a soul enter a baby's body?
 At conception
 After the first trimester
 When the child first answers Amen to a blessing
 No one knows

 

Question 2. From a Jewish perspective, what is the best way of screening for genetic diseases?
 Carrier screening
 Pre-implantation screening
 Prenatal testing
 No screening is allowed at any point

 

Question 3. According to Jewish law, which of the following is true of abortion?
 Life begins at conception, so abortion is tantamount to murder
 Traditional Jewish law does not consider a fetus to be a human being
 If a woman's life is endangered by her pregnancy she still must have the baby
 Abortion is permissible under all circumstances; the rabbis did not claim ownership over women's bodies

 

Question 4. Which of the following denominations allow organ donation?
 Reform
 Conservative
 Modern Orthodox
 Reconstructionist
 All of the above

 

Question 5. According to Jewish law, what is a goses?
 A terminally ill patient, who is expected to die within 72 hours
 Someone who has been given a terminal diagnosis, but whose life expectancy is unknown
 A corpse within one day after death
 A person who wants to die

 

Question 6. True or false: In some situations, Jewish law actually requires a woman to have an abortion.
 True
 False

 

Question 7. Which Jewish tenet overrides all others in the debate regarding whether organ donation should be permissible acccording to Jewish law?
 Shabbat
 Kashrut
 Saving a life
 Love your neighbor like yourself

 

Question 8. According to Jewish law, is therapeutic genetic engineering and gene manipulation sanctioned?
 It is sanctioned because it may help save lives in the future
 It is prohibited, because it does not help save lives in the present
 Is it prohibited because it is tampering with God's work
 It is sanctioned because it is fixing God's mistakes

 

Question 9. According to Jewish law, actively hastening the death of a dying person is akin to what?
 Stealing
 Murder
 Putting a stumbling block in front of a blind person
 Defiling Shabbat

 

Question 10. True or false: Jewish law always forbids organ donation.
 True
 False

 

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