2008 Woodie Awards
YU Hosts All-Star Scholars to Talk Ethics
An Overview of the Medical Ethics Society Conference on Infertility and Jewish Law- okay Chana
Asher Morris
Issue date: 10/22/07 Section: News
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The Yeshiva University Student Medical Ethics Society (MES) in conjunction with the Center for Jewish Future (CJF) hosted their second annual halakha and medical ethics conference last Sunday, October 14. This year it was entitled "Partners in Creation: Fertility, Modern Medicine, and Jewish Law" and covered in-vitro fertilization, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, sperm injection and more.
The conference attracted people from all walks of life: public high school students, religious Jews from Borough Park and elsewhere, irreligious Jews and even non-Jewish people. "We brought people here who would otherwise never have associated with YU," affirmed Yeshiva College President Yonah Bardos, the Founder and Executive Director of the Medical Ethics Society, and co-organizer of the event.
After a brief welcome by co-presidents of MES, Aaron Kogut and Chani Schonbrun, England's Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks opened with a special introductory address, briefly explaining medical ethics and halakha. Afterwards, Rabbi Doctor Edward Reichman, a member of the MES advisory board, presented an introductory session entitled "Infertility: A long-standing challenge," discussing the medical and halakhic history of infertility treatment.
According to the MES program guide, Dr. Reichman "is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Hisotry of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), where he also teaches medical ethics."
Additionally, Aaron Kogut, President of the Medical Ethics Society, said that Dr. Reichman is one of the Society's main mentors. Dr. Reichman, along with CJF, "showed us how to go from students with initiative to students actualizing our goals," Mr. Kogut affirmed.
Promptly at 11:30 AM, the second plenary entitled "Fertility Workup: The ABC's of Treating Inferitlity," began, hosted by Dr. Richard Grazi and CJF Dean Rabbi Kenneth Brander.
The conference attracted people from all walks of life: public high school students, religious Jews from Borough Park and elsewhere, irreligious Jews and even non-Jewish people. "We brought people here who would otherwise never have associated with YU," affirmed Yeshiva College President Yonah Bardos, the Founder and Executive Director of the Medical Ethics Society, and co-organizer of the event.
After a brief welcome by co-presidents of MES, Aaron Kogut and Chani Schonbrun, England's Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks opened with a special introductory address, briefly explaining medical ethics and halakha. Afterwards, Rabbi Doctor Edward Reichman, a member of the MES advisory board, presented an introductory session entitled "Infertility: A long-standing challenge," discussing the medical and halakhic history of infertility treatment.
According to the MES program guide, Dr. Reichman "is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Hisotry of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM), where he also teaches medical ethics."
Additionally, Aaron Kogut, President of the Medical Ethics Society, said that Dr. Reichman is one of the Society's main mentors. Dr. Reichman, along with CJF, "showed us how to go from students with initiative to students actualizing our goals," Mr. Kogut affirmed.
Promptly at 11:30 AM, the second plenary entitled "Fertility Workup: The ABC's of Treating Inferitlity," began, hosted by Dr. Richard Grazi and CJF Dean Rabbi Kenneth Brander.