[Avodah] IVF and the Rabbinate

[Ben Waxman via Avodah]

A work around for agunot wanting to have kids: Rav Yitzhaq Yosef* ruled 
that an IVF child isn't a mamzer in a case of a married woman having her 
egg fertilized with the sperm of a man who who isn't her husband.

Now an MK wants to use this psak to enable agunot to conceive via IVF 
and her kids won't have mamzerut problems (and have the treatment paid 
for by the state).



* Yes other rabbis have given this ruling but when the Chief Rabbi gives 
a psak it gives a stronger basis for a knesset member to propose a law.


See the article for more details (Hebrew): http://bit.ly/2uOmI6x



I can easily imagine Rav Yosef saying "My psak deals with procedural 
errors, not someone doing it intentionally." Would that have any effect 
to the actual din? I can't see how the rabbinate can give a legal 
objection based on "not wanting to have more yotomim". A single woman is 
allowed to get IVF.



Feminists of course could object that this is institutionalizing agunot.


Ben