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International Interfaith Reading Group on Science and Religion in Interfaith Contexts
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Jewish Perspective on Patient-Doctor Relations

30 April, 2026

This lecture explores how religious obligation and modern medical ethics shape the patient-doctor relationship. In Judaism, doctors have an obligation to treat and save lives, at the same time that patients are obligated to seek treatment (Hishtadlus), while also acknowledging God as the ultimate source of healing. In Orthodox communities, medical decisions often involve consultation with rabbis or legal scholars (poskim), adding a halakhic layer to informed consent. Jewish medical ethics may also allow limited disclosure in certain cases, overriding the patient’s autonomy to protect the patient’s well-being, to prevent psychological harm, and to save a life. These nuanced differences highlight the interplay between faith, law, and medicine in Jewish medical decision-making.

Speaker: Dr Dafna Ben-Yosef is the Jewish Lifelong Learning Director at Siegal Lifelong Learning Department, and Adjunct Faculty Member at the Department of Bioethics, Case Western Reserve University, USA.

Chair: Professor Mark Harris, Andreas Idreos Chair in Science and Religion, and Director of the Ian Ramsey Centre in Science and Religion at the University of Oxford.

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