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In her article "The Ethics of the Eighth Day: Jewish Bioethics and Research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells," Laurie Zoloth details the Jewish position on embryonic stem cell research (32).

Within the halachah, the Jewish ethical-legal tradition, there is no single authority that speaks for all Jews. Because of this, the Jewish approach to research involving human embryos is very flexible.

• The Jewish law of mitzvot requires that life-saving measures be taken even when in conflict with other laws. Since stem cell research is potentially live-saving, it overrides other laws that are restrictive of stem cell research.

• In the Jewish tradition an embryo is not given the same moral status as a mature human being. According to the Talmud, a fetus is "like water" for the first forty days of its existence. Since embryos are not considered to be fully human, using embryonic cells for research is not considered unethical in and of itself.

However, the Jewish tradition does call into question the methods used to obtain the materials necessary to pursue embryonic stem cell research, specifically the methods and circumstances under which eggs are extracted for use. In some ways, ES cell research may be interpreted as tikkun olam, which is the "overreaching of human power." Additionally, the ethical tradition of Judaism is opposed to eugenics in any form and seeks to avoid a repetition of the horrible mistakes made during the Holocaust. The Jewish take on the issue is very different from the Catholic position on embryonic stem cell research.

Ethics