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The Shulchan Aruch (Even Ha’ezer, 1) teaches us about the mitzvah
of procreation:
· It is the obligation of every man to marry a woman for the pur-
pose of procreation, and whoever is not involved in procreation
it is as if he is spilling blood. and he causes the Divine Presence
HEREDITARY VISION to leave the people of Israel. (#1)
DEFECTS – HALACHIC
76 CONSIDERATIONS · Once a man has a son and a daughter, he has fulfilled the mitz-
vah of procreation, on condition that the son is not sterile and
the daughter not infertile. (#5)
· If the son is a shotah (mentally incapacitated), he has fulfilled
the mitzvah. (#6, Rama)
1 Question · Even if he has fulfilled the mitzvah of procreation he is pro-
hibited from living without a wife, and he needs to marry a
I wish to refer some questions to the Rav related to the physician’s child-bearing woman. If he has many children and is afraid that
obligation to give over medical information to the family in specific if he marries a child-bearing woman there will be fights between
situations:
his sons and his wife, then he is allowed to marry a non-child-
1. A baby was born with congenital cataracts in both eyes. His bearing woman. (#8)
mother also suffered from the same condition, and had them · The mitzvah of procreation does not apply to a woman. (#13)
surgically removed. This problem is a hereditary, dominant dis-
order. The mother’s family asked the physician to play down the In view of all the above:
situation and not to tell the father about the mother’s medical 1. If the husband does not yet have a son and a daughter and we
past. The family is afraid of the father’s reaction if he finds out know that his wife will give birth to Down’s Syndrome babies,
that his baby’s condition is hereditary. Probably, all he knows is who cannot have children of their own, then if the man wants
that his wife has an exceptionally “high number” on her glasses. to stay with his wife, he still has the mitzvah of separating from
her and marrying a woman whose children can have their own
Since the mother did not reveal her problem to the father, the children (but we do not force him to do so, Rama, ibid, #1). [If
baby presented belatedly for treatment. As a result, he will there is a possibility that the wife will be endangered from the
always have defective vision. If the father would have known anguish and pain of being divorced, he should not divorce her
about the issue, the baby would have come on time for treat- because pikuach nefesh overrides the mitzvah of procreation.]
ment and its vision would be unharmed. How is the physician 2. If there are chances that she can give birth to children who are
to react?
able to have their own children, he is not obligated to divorce
2. If the father asks about the chances of future children having her, but she should continue to give birth until she has a boy and
congenital cataracts, and the answer is likely to lead to problems a girl who are capable of having their own children. One need
in the family, how should the physician react? not be concerned that she may also bring blemished children
60 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Hereditary Defects 2 73
