Druckschrift 
Sexual issues in Jewish law : essays and responsa / edited by Walter Jacob with Moshe Zemer
Seite
183
Einzelbild herunterladen

Selected Reform Responsa 183

Tel Aviv, the chief Sephardic rabbi of Palestine, in his Mishpetei Uziel, part Il, Even Ha-ezer, section 19. Epstein because of the danger that the child may some day, out of ignorance, marry one of the forbidden degrees of relationship opposes the use of seed from a stranger, but permits the use of the husband's own seed if that is the only way the wife can be impregnated by her husband. Ben Zion Uziel says as do earlier author­ities that the woman is not immoral because of this act and that the child is kasher, but disagreeing with Beit Shemu-el he says that the child is not the child of the donor as to inheritance and Halitzah. He adds that the woman thus impregnated(if not married) may not marry until the time of suckling the child is over.

Since he concludes that the child is not the donors child, he therefore considers that the donor has sinned in wasting seed. However, inasmuch as he concludes that the woman is not immoral and not forbidden to her husband, he seems to incline toward permitting the procedure at the recommendation of the physician although he hesitates to say so.

6. My own opinion would be that the possibility of the child marrying one of his own close blood kin is far-fetched, but that since, according to Jewish law, the wife has committed no sin and the child is kasher, then the process of artificial insemination should be permitted.

Solomon B. Freehof

Walter Jacob , American Reform Responsa, New York , Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1983,# 157.