DEUT432 The body belongs to God. Unlike American secular ethics, in which each person's body belongs to him–or herself, Jewish classical texts assert that God, as Creator of the universe, owns everything in it, including our bodies. [For example, this verse; Psalms 24:1]. Therefore God can and does make certain demands of us as to how we use our bodies, demands articulated in Jewish law. It is if we were renting an apartment: we have fair use of the apartment during our lease--and, and the biological analogue, during our lease on life--but we do not have the right to destroy the apartment (commit suicide) or harm it unnecessarily, because it is not ours. What constitutes "fair use"-- that is, the risks that we may take--depends, according to Jewish law, on whether most people assume the risk (B. Shabbat 129b). So, for example, one may drive a car, even though it clearly raises the possibility of injury or even death, but whether one may engage in experimental medical procedures depends on the degree to which they have a chance of preserving one's life or occurring an illness or disability. (By Elliot N. Dorff)
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