Childbearing & Fertility
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Fetus vs. Newborn
In Mishpatim, 21:22, we are shown that if a man injures a pregnant woman and she miscarries the crime is treated as bodily harm to the woman and not murder of the fetus. The guilty party is to be fined…
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Designer Babies
What is the Jewish view on designer babies? Answer: I don’t know of any source in Jewish law that speaks about this case exactly, but it would seem to run counter to Judaism. Jewish law forbids tattoos and messing with ones…
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Trust, Prayer and Infertility
What is the fine line between having trust in G-d that all will work out well and not having ones hopes up too high in order not to have such a big disappointment? I’m particularly asking about coping with infertility…
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Abortion for Rape Victim
Under what conditions could a teenage victim of a rape be allowed an abortion? Answer: Thank you for your question. According to many Halachic [i.e. Jewish Law] experts, in a situation where a pregnancy poses an extreme hardship on the…
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A Jewish Perspective on Dealing with Infertility
I am trying to get pregnant. Do you have any advice or resources for me? Answer: I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to reply to your e-mail. I was very moved by your question, and wanted to…
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DNA Testing and Praying for Gender of Fetus
I know that you are allowed to pray for a baby to be either a boy or a girl up to 40 days from the moment of conception. It is true that the physical characteristics of the sex of the…
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Pro-Choice and Belief in G-d
Recently my granddaughter and wife were talking about the right to abortion and how they were afraid it would be overturned by a more conservative court. My wife yelled, “It’s my body and they have no right to tell me…
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Father’s Role in the Delivery of a Child
What is the role of the father at the delivery of his child? It seems that, historically, the father (or any male for that matter) had very little to do in the delivery of a child, and was most likely…
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Genetic Infertility in Abraham’s Family
I’ve researched the Terah – Abraham genealogy and I see evidence of a hereditary transmission in this family of a peculiar Infertility/Twinning syndrome. Recent data about a similar syndrome appears in contemporary genetic literature. My question is does it make…