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converts to Judaism is permitted to her husband, explaining that no
conclusions can be drawn from before her conversion to afterward,
because the body of a Jew differs from that of a non-Jew.4 According
to this, statistics for non-Jews are invalid in regard to the physiology
of Jews and no research can be relied upon unless save for that con-
ducted on bodies of Jews.

It should be further added that the sperm testing which shows
that a person is unable to sire children is more serious than the blood
testing discussed above, This is because if a blood test indicates that a
child’s father is not the man who is assumed to be his father, we have
one majority in conflict with another. On the one hand, since most
cohabitations are with the husband it is reasonable to assume that
this is his son, while on the other hand the blood test indicates that
this is not his son because in most cases the child’s blood type is iden-
tical to that of the parents. This is not the case when sperm testing
shows that this man is unable to sire children. In the vast majority of
cases, this majority completely does away with the first majority that
most cohabitations are with the husband.

Now, the following points should be raised in regard to the afore-
mentioned beis din’s deliberations:

The Shulchan Aruch (Even Ha’ezer 4,4) rules: “If a woman’s hus-
band was overseas and remained there for more than twelve months
and she gave birth after twelve months the child is a mamzer, because
a fetus does not remain in its mother’s womb for more than twelve
months. [This is the Rambam’s opinion]. And there is another opin-
ion that it is not presumed to be a mamzer. [This is the opinion of the
Halachos Gedolos.]” The Rema adds: “But [about a birth that takes
place] up to twelve months [from the husband’s departure] we are
unconcerned because we say the fetus tarried in its mother’s womb all
this time. However, this is only if nothing unseemly has been noticed
about her conduct but if something unseemly has been seen in her

4. See Chazon Ish Yoreh De’ah 99:4, regarding whether all the regular patterns of
menstruation of a woman who converts to Judaism become irrelevant following
her conversion.

Reliability of Medical Testing for Paternity 2 115