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

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Feb 07, 2011 at 08:24:20AM -0500, Prof. Levine wrote:
> 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?
...
> [RSZA] 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.

What I find telling is what isn't discussed. It seems that risking the
life of the child can be decided without raising the issue of the life
of the child. The Nishmas Avrohom presents a machloqes in terms of the
woman's responsibility to her husband's qiyum of piryah verivyah. No
mention of piquach nefesh.

IS IT because neither held loss of a fetus was death? With obvious
implications WRT why abortion is assur??? Anyone know?

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "'When Adar enters, we increase our joy'
micha at aishdas.org         'Joy is nothing but Torah.'
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