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case where the psychiatric opinion is that she has an acute but tious about imparting sad or painful news directly, instead hinting or
transient psychiatric illness? Here too, the chances are very great alluding to the unfortunate circumstance.
that she will not repeat what she did, though there is a certain
possibility that it will happen.
4. If the answer to the previous question is that she does have to
reveal her past, do her siblings also have to reveal it when they
are in the process of seeking a shidduch for themselves, as exem- Telling Someone about a Serious Genetic
plified in cases one and three above? Disease of Which He is a Carrier
5. A similar question sometimes comes up about children or 1 Question
teenagers who had one or two epileptic seizures. According to
statistics, they have a 20% chance of recurrence of an epileptic I am a neurologist who lives in the United States and am involved in
seizure within a year. The longer the interval from then, the genetic research for an illness for which there is no cure. Symptoms
less chance there is of a recurrent seizure, so that after three of the illness appear at approximately age forty, and cause great suf-
or four years the chances of recurrent seizures are not signifi- fering until the patient generally dies in the hospital. A patient who
cantly higher than that of anyone else. In view of these facts, carries this illness transmits the disease to about 50% of his offspring.
we generally advise against treatment with medications, unless Within the framework of the research, I inform the patients that all
there were additional seizures or if there are abnormalities on information will be kept in confidence, even from them.
the electroencephalogram (EEG). A family whose members had this illness was part of my study.
When I tested their eighteen-year-old daughter, the tests showed that
The question is, when a match is suggested, is the person obligated she is a carrier of the disease.
to reveal this single episode of epileptic seizures? Perhaps since there My question is: Should I reveal this to her or not? I believe that
is no evidence that he suffers from epilepsy, he need not reveal this to if I do tell her, she will suffer a severe mental collapse. On the other
a potential mate?
hand, it is clear to me that her future husband would be unknowingly
Prof. …, Expert Neurologist falling into a trap. Must I reveal this to her or is it preferable to “sit and
do nothing?” Why have mercy on the future groom at her expense?
We sent this question to Professor Matityahu Wiesenberg. His What is your opinion?
response was as follows:
The ethical question has already been posed to psychologists and 1 AnsweR
psychiatrists throughout the world. In the United States there is a
great expert on suicide research and methods of treatment by the It seems to me that one would be obligated to inform those sons and
name of Professor Schneidman of the University of California. (He daughters who are ready for marriage and involved in shidducim. They
is the publisher of the renowned journal Suicidology.) He advises need to know that they are carriers of a hereditary disease, so that
those who attempted suicide to deceive a potential mate and to hide they can tell prospective mates about it. However, one should not
this fact from them. cause pain to those who have not yet reached adulthood by informing
He believes that since in most cases there is no recurrence, we them of their condition before it is necessary.
28 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Telling a patient that he is sterile 2 41
