  The rare radiative decay $b \to s \gamma$ is studied in $SU(2)_L \times
SU(2)_R \times U(1)$ extensions of the Standard Model. Matching conditions for
coefficients of operators appearing in the low energy effective Hamiltonian for
this process are derived, and QCD corrections to these coefficients are
analyzed. The $b \to s \gamma$ decay rate is then calculated and compared with
the corresponding Standard Model result. We find that observable deviations
from Standard Model predictions can occur in $SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R \times
U(1)$ theories for a reasonable range of parameter values.
