Reproductive Technologies in the Context of Religious Pluralism

Article

Abstract

[In Russian]

 This essay is devoted to the problem of theological discourse in
bioethics. We focus both on general positions shared across major
existing religions and substantial confessional differences among
them. Among the major categories determining relationships between bioethics and religion we studied the following: «image of
God» (imago Dei), casuistry, and primacy of procreation, «playing
God», artificial procreation and others. After analyzing Christian,
Jewish and Islamic positions on the theological interpretation of
the reproductive technologies and human cloning, we came to the
conclusion that differences in views rather depend on orthodox,
conservative, traditional, or liberal viewpoint within a given church
than on differences between particular religions. Despite substantial faith-related differences, occasionally, views on reproductive
technologies and other problems of bioethics seem closer between
liberal Protestants and liberal Judaists than between orthodox and
reformist Judaists.