On this question as to whether a woman may resort to medical aid to become fruitful, there is some interesting discussion in recent law. Eliezer Wildenberg, in his responsa 7zitz Eliezer(Vol. 11, pp. 105b ff), has a long debate on this question. He cites the opinion of Menachem Mendel Panet in his Shaare Tzedek, who says that barrenness is not a sickness involving physical pain, etc., for which she must seek medical aid. If a woman is barren, that is God 's decree. It is part of her nature. But Wildenberg refutes this opinion(which is rather an exceptional one) and says, first of all, that it is an established custom in all the generations that even the leaders of the community sought the help of doctors to cure the barrenness of their wives so that they might live together and fulfill the commandment. Wildenberg cites the great Spanish scholar Solomon ben Aderet , who tells of his teacher , the physician Nachmanides , who cured Gentile women of their barrenness. It is clear that to seek a cure for barrenness(even though it is not necessarily a disease involving physical pain, etc.) is well within the approval of Jewish tradition and custom.
However, the very fact that the duty to"increase and multiply" is incumbent specifically upon the man may nevertheless make a difference in the possible permissibility of the fertility pill. Let us assume, for the sake of discussion, that there is some danger to the general system in the taking of the pill. Now if a fertility medicine were given to the man, one could say that since it is his duty in Jewish law to"increase and multiply," then he is justified in accepting some physical risk in order to fulfill the commandment. But since the woman is not at all mandated to"increase and multiply," why should she assume any risk at all to her general health to fulfill that which she is not commanded to fulfill?
As to the above question of danger involved, I have consulted Dr. Harold Cohen , Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh . From him I have learned the following: There is no such thing as a fertility pill given to the man(who by Jewish law is mandated to"increase and multiply"). The pill is given only to the woman(who by Jewish law has no such mandate). Furthermore, as a matter of fact, there is a physical danger to the woman that may be created by the fertility pill. Her
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