Handbook of Bioethics and Religion

What role should religion play in a religiously pluralistic liberal society? Public bioethics unavoidably raises this question in a particularly insistent fashion. Nowhere else in the public realm do the fundamental religious questions about the meaning and nature of life arise in a context where resort to a political answer is the norm.

Many people continue to insist that the Constitution precludes religious participation in the political process, while others insist that by denying a role to religion we fundamentally discriminate against people of faith. As the twenty papers in this collection demonstrate, the issues are complex and multifaceted. The authors address such specific and highly contested issues as assisted suicide, stem cell research, cloning, reproductive health, and alternative medicine as well as more general questions such as who legitimately speaks for religion in public bioethics, what religion can add to our understanding of justice, and the value of faith-based contributions to healthcare. Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Jewish, Islamic, and Buddhist viewpoints are represented.

The first book to focus on the interface of religion and bioethics, this collection fills a significant void in the literature.

The book begins with historical and overview essays that remind us that religion has played an important role in bioethics from the inception of the field. The book then explores the role of religion in the formation of public policy using techniques drawn from sociology, critical studies, philosophy, religious studies, provide nuanced analysis of the ever-present reality of religion. Religion and Bioethics questions the distinction between public policy bioethics and clinical care, recognizing the close interconnection between the two