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Praised is the Jewish physician who takes this task upon himself. #
The Zohar praises (Vol. 3 #299,a) the Jewish physician who is also
concerned about his soul, and the soul of the patient.
There was a case of a sick woman who came to the hospital. The
physician inquired as to her medical history and she said that as a
QUESTIONS ABOUT child she underwent heart surgery. The physician recorded this in the
REVEALING HEREDITARY chart and when she left the hospital he wrote it in her discharge letter.
77 DEFECTS Through this, the husband learned of her illness, and it caused a fight
between them. If this detail is not essential to the continuation of
her treatment, it would be proper to omit it. A wise physician would
understand this.
1 Question
1 SuMMaRy and Conclusions
The following is a list of ethical questions relating to modern genetics.
I would like to ask the Rav to send me halachic answers to the ques- 1. The physician should probably not tell the husband about the 20818_efi-ab - 20818_park-C_efi-ab | 3 - B | 18-08-20 | 13:46:23 | SR:-- | Magenta
tions: blemish in his wife. If he does so, he violates the prohibition of #20818_efi-ab - 20818_park-C_efi-ab | 3 - B | 18-08-20 | 13:46:23 | SR:-- | Yellow 20818_efi-ab - 20818_park-C_efi-ab | 3 - B | 18-08-20 | 13:46:23 | SR:-- | Black 20818_efi-ab - 20818_park-C_efi-ab | 3 - B | 18-08-20 | 13:46:23 | SR:-- |
A) A physician diagnoses Down’s Syndrome of a genetic variety slander.
(not due to the advanced age of the mother). This form of 2. One should probably try to avoid telling the husband the truth.
the disorder is due to a balanced translocation of part of one
chromosome onto another. How should the physician relate 3. She should not conceal her blemish.
to the parents, who came to consult him for advice regarding 4. One is obligated to reveal the truth, and the physician should
additional children? Several approaches exist:
try to convince the patient to do so herself.
1. Before the parents’ blood tests, the physician explains that
the tests are done to reveal whether one of them is a carrier
of the disorder. He asks if they want to know which of them
is the carrier, and if they both agree, he reveals his findings to
them. Discharge Summary Contains Details which
2. The doctor tells them all the accurate scientific knowledge of may Upset Shalom Bayis
the disorder, whether or not they ask for it.
3. The doctor does not reveal the knowledge he has, even if 1 Question
they ask for it.
A woman who concealed her diabetic condition from her husband
4. The doctor tells them that they are both carriers of the gene. gave birth to a baby. In the hospital it was discovered that the baby
5. The doctor reveals all he knows to the parents, as well as to also has diabetes. The mother is begging them not to write this on the
68 1 Medical-HalacHic Responsa of Rav ZilbeRstein Hereditary Vision Defects 2 65
