Medicine and Morals: Your Jewish Guide Through Life's Tough Decisions
Lesson 3 Rolling the Dice: Risky and Experimental Treatments
Often, people with rare or incurable illnesses consider untested experimental treatment, gambling that they will be cured.
May one participate in an experimental treatment with no guarantee of success that also has the danger of shortening life? Can we define the allowable odds? Do our personal preferences and values hold any weight? And does the same hold true for children? Does it matter that participating in this experimental treatment will provide important knowledge that will be helpful in curing others?