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         should tell him that the mitzvah will protect him, particularly in view
         of the fact that the physician is liable to be mistaken in his diagnosis
         and it may not be all that dangerous for the patient.

            As to the concern that a couple’s children may be mentally ill, even
         when this concern is real, it does not confer exemption from fulfilling
         the mitzvah of procreation, as explained in the Igros Moshe (Even
         Ha’ezer 1, 62), namely that it is better for a child to be born even if it
         only lives for a short time than not to be born at all. The Igros Moshe
         cites proof to this from maseches Sanhedrin (110b) where it says that
         every child that is born merits life in the World to Come. This can
         also be proven from the conduct of Bnei Yisrael in Egypt, who, when
         there was a decree to throw every newborn boy into the Nile river,
         continued procreating nonetheless, despite the drowning that await-
         ed their children when they were thrown into the river to die.

            However in light of Dr. Bunzel’s comments, the question arises as
         to whether to encourage schizophrenic patients to marry altogether,
         when we know that they are subject to mood changes and may be
         unable to maintain normal domestic harmony and home life. On this
         point the following comments appear relevant:

            In maseches Yevamos (112b) the Gemara asks:“Why are deaf-mutes
         different in that the Sages instituted marriage for a couple who are
         deaf-mutes [i.e. although the Torah considers a deaf-mute lacking in
         intelligence and therefore unable to contract a marriage, the Sages
         instituted a marriage bond] from a couple who are shotim [imbeciles],
         for whom the Sages instituted no marriage bond?” To this the gemara
         responds, “In the case of a pair of deaf-mutes the Sages’ enactment
         will be upheld [i.e. they will live peacefully with one another], so the
         Sages instituted marriage for them, whereas for a pair of imbeciles
         where the Sages’ enactment will not be upheld, because ‘A person
         cannot live with a snake in one basket,’ the Sages did not institute
         marriage.”

            ‘A person cannot live with a snake in one basket,’ refers to the
         impossibility of a husband and wife living together when one of
         them has to be constantly on guard to avoid problems, fights and
         arguments. Thus, no harmony can be expected if a shoteh marries a

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