True Medical Ethics
From Pharaoh to Hitler, evil rulers have sought the assistance of medical professionals to carry out their destructive intentions. When Pharaoh called Yocheved and Miriam, the Jewish midwives, to compel them to kill all Jewish baby boys, they refused. Chazal explains that not only did they ignore Pharaoh’s orders, but they went out of their way to care for the infants. (The names they are called in the Pasuk, Shifrah, and Puah pay homage to the meticulous care they gave these children.) This is the first documented case where a Jewish provider faced a medical ethics dilemma. Today, when physicians face an ethical dilemma, it is usually a case of religious values against secular rights. While this is, in general, a positive development, it at times complicates the solutions to the problem. What does Halacha expect of a Jewish practitioner when facing such a dilemma?
In Halacha, we can separate the potential issues into two categories: where a physician will personally perform a forbidden act, and where a physician will be forced to assist someone to find an alternative provider or treatment that does not align with Halacha. As is often the case, Halacha takes the first category much more seriously. In a situation where one must personally perform the act, it is strictly forbidden to go against Halacha. Even if one will lose their license and personal income, it is forbidden to violate Halacha (unless it is a case of life and death). It is in this instance that the Gemara states, “There is no wisdom in the place of Halacha”.
It is more complicated when the issue at hand is the prohibition of “Lifnei Iver.” The Torah forbids abating someone else’s Aveirah if they otherwise would not have been able to do so. When they would have been able to otherwise violate the Aveirah, it is a more lenient Rabbinical prohibition called “Mesayaa l’Dvar Averiah,” assisting an Aveirah. Today, when information is readily available online, many cases have turned at worst in the latter category as patients can easily find a different provider who is not guided by a Halachic framework. Each case is unique, and every physician should consult their own Posek to work through the nuances of any question.
Lastly, Rav Asher Weiss explains that these predicaments are not a reason to avoid the medical field altogether. He points out that many fields are faced with such challenges, and while it is important to understand the issues and know how to avoid them, when one does so, they are able to earn a parnassah while providing a critical service to the Jewish community; neither of which should be taken lightly.
Adapted from medicalhalacha.org