[Avodah] Must A Women Subject Herself To A Caesarean Delivery?

[Prof. Levine]

 From http://revach.net/article.php?id=4965

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach & Rav Elyashiv ybcl"c - Must A Women 
Subject Herself To A Caesarean Delivery?

If a woman cannot give birth naturally and her delivery will require 
Caesarean section, can she refuse her husband's request to have children?

The Nishmas Avrohom (OC 330:2) brings from Rav Elyashiv shlit"a that 
the Meshech Chochma (Noach 9:7) says that a woman, although patur 
from the Mitzva of having children (as only a man is chayav), 
nevertheless is obligated to her husband to bear him children. This 
is despite that there is inherent danger in childbirth. Therefore 
says Rav Elyashiv the extra measure of danger inherent in a c-section 
will not exempt her from her obligation to her husband.

However, says the Nishmas Avrohom, Rav Shlomo Zalman argued and held 
that the only obligation a woman has to her husband is for a natural 
childbirth. This was understood when she agreed to get married. 
However a c-section was not part of the agreement and she may 
therefore refuse to have one.

He goes as far as saying that even if right before childbirth the 
doctors says that it may be dangerous for the child to be born 
naturally and a c-section would prove to be a much safer alternative 
to delivering a healthy child, she may still refuse on the grounds 
that she is afraid to undergo the operation, even at the expense of the child.

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