ABSTRACT
In most bioethics discussions, issues at the beginning and end of life are analyzed separately, and this chapter will proceed largely in that vein. Part one considers religious and ethical issues posed by assisted reproductive techniques and practices, especially questions about the moral status of early forms of human life, as well as issues raised in the clinical contexts of neonatology and perinatology. Part two reviews ethical and religious issues raised by end-of-life decision making, especially about withholding/withdrawing treatment and about physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Part three concludes by noting certain areas of overlap between beginning- and end-of-life issues that may prove instructive for both discussions.
