GEN93 Jewish ethicists searching for universal norms within Jewish tradition will be drawn first to that body of norms specifically designated as binding upon all people.  Known as the “Noahide laws” (since they apply to all descendants of Noah) … [t]he standard list … includes prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, bloodshed, sexual sins, theft, eating from a live animal, and the requirement to establish law courts.  … all Jewish authorities agree that these Noahide laws are the moral norms God expects all human beings to observe. … Among these laws one stands out as pertinent to issues of medical ethics, namely the prohibition against bloodshed. The rationale for this prohibition is twofold. First, it represents a fundamental requirement for a stable society.  Natural tendencies toward hostility and violence must be curbed to permit the flourishing of human relationships and social institutions.  Second, the prohibition against murder follows from the view that all human beings are created in God’s image [this verse].  As [Genesis Rabbah 34:14] put[s] it, “whoever sheds blood it is as if he diminished the Divine likeness because…”in the image of God he made man.’ PASTIMP 210-11