Freedom of conscience in health care

[seanmurphy]

I am the administrator of the Protection of Conscience Project, a non-denominational, non-profit initiative that advocates for freedom of conscience in health care. (http://www.consciencelaws.org) I am attempting to locate a Jewish nursing ethicist who is an acknowledged authority in the field. Suggestions would be much appreciated.

[medic09]

If by this, you mean a nursing ethicist who is truly knowledgeable and understands traditional Jewish law and ethics - I'm inclined to think there is no such person outside Israel. There has been little demand for such a person outside Israel. In the Western world, many of the 'Jewish experts' are nothing more than someone involved in a field, who happen to be or identify as Jewish. Not the same thing at all.

[seanmurphy]

The person you describe (truly knowledgeable, etc) is the kind of person I am looking for. Living in Israel would not be a problem as long as I can make contact through the net.

[chayan]

How would one become a "Jewish nursing ethicist"? This sounds like something I might be interested in pursuing.

[medic09]

I answer partly tongue-in-cheek. I'll let you sort out which part is which.

For some, you have to have a background in nursing (preferably with a degree), you have to do coursework and training in ethics in the healthcare setting, and you have to be Jewish. That last is probably even optional.

For some, you have to have the above and a smattering of a Jewish religious education to make it sound like you are an expert on Judaism. Probably a degree in comparative religions would suffice.

To my mind? You need a practical and academic foundation in nursing, with graduate level studies in ethics. An internship in applied healthcare ethics. Ongoing Torah study that establishes you as a God-fearing, knowledgeable, competent person in matters of halacha in general; and healthcare questions in particular. Emphasis, of course, on the responsa literature pertaining to healthcare issues. In short, a talmid hacham. Man or woman, it doesn't matter.

For much of the Jewish community, competence in halacha is not a standard. To them, a general knowledge with experience of a Jewish perspective provided by broad knowledge of midrashim and philosophical discussions will do. Growing up, I recall having to read a book by a man who today is known as having been a 'foremost Jewish ethicist'. (My elderly mother really admires him.) He may have been Jewish, and he may have studied ethics; but even as a teenager I could see that I wasn't going to learn Torah from his writings.

If it sounds like much of the requirements I seriously described are for an accomplished rav - you're right. Except that most rabbanim don't really know about our profession and the day to day challenges we face. They know about medicine (sometimes); but they haven't a clue about nursing. In an applied healthcare setting, there would be a lot of crossover, of course.

[chayan]

I think a woman could acquire the education and credentials necessary to advise rabbonim on issues of medical ethics even if she is not deciding halachah herself.

[medic09]

Aug 4, 2011 11:50:12 GMT -5 chayan said:

I think a woman could acquire the education and credentials necessary to advise rabbonim on issues of medical ethics even if she is not deciding halachah herself.

I agree. I didn't say anything about 'deciding' halachah. I think that yoatzot halachah are an excellent model of halachic knowledge and competence. I think a *Jewish* ethicist should have a similarly thorough grounding in halachic and philosophic issues. As I mentioned earlier, "man or woman, it doesn't matter."

My only point, while avoiding the unresolved question of 'is there ethics outside the halachah from a traditional perspective', is that in my view as an observant Jew, an applied ethicist has to be competent with the halachah. It isn't enough to have gotten a degree in Jewish philosophy or comparative religion.

[seanmurphy]

Again, the further description provided by medic09 of what he considers necessary is what I have in mind. Thank you.