With the advance of medical technology, definitions of the beginning of life as well as the end of life figure prominently in our evolving medical ethics.  The former is discussed rather thoroughly in our traditional literature.  Therefore, there is clearly a Jewish approach to the status of the unborn child and issues of abortion, distinctively and apart from the religious views of our non-Jewish neighbors.  Even though technology makes many options possible today, such as in-vitro fertilization, that could not be imagined when our literature was being written, still we look to our sacred literature for the guiding principles of value in applying current medical options.  So be prepared to learn about these traditional values, both for personal decisions and for the democratic shaping of public policy, by attending our upcoming session, as described above, on this Wednesday evening, June 9th, at 7:30 p.m.