<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 9.00.8112.16457"></HEAD>
<BODY style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" id=role_body
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 rightMargin=7 topMargin=7><FONT id=role_document
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial>From: Eli Turkel <eliturkel@gmail.com><BR>To: Avodah
<avodah@lists.aishdas.org>, "Teitz Elazar M."<BR>
<remt@juno.com>, Daniel Eidensohn
<yadmoshe@012.net.il<BR><BR>>> I teach a shiur on halacha and medical
ethics and was discussing IVF....<BR><BR>I have always assumed that most/all
poskim (including RMF) felt there was<BR>no halachik requirement to use
IVF.<BR><BR>Afterwards one of the participants send me an email of someone
who<BR>disagreed (given later).<BR>Does anyone have more information about the
heter or requirement to use IVF<BR>when
needed?<BR><BR>----------------------<BR><BR>"I asked this Sheila to
Moreinu Harav HaGaon Gershon Lopian one of the<BR>leading Talmidim of Rav Moshe
Feinstein<BR>Dayan Lopian is one of the worlds leading Poskim on matters of
Ishus, Nidah<BR>and Marital Issues * *- his Psak is as follows<BR>The
requirement of Pirya VeRivya extends to IVF unless the following issues<BR>are
present....<BR><BR> 1. There is a medical/Psychological reason why
IVF is not appropriate<BR> 2. There would be a severe financial
burden on the couple.....<BR><BR>In any event if these problems are not present
then it would be incumbent<BR>on the couple to do everything in their power to
fulfill the Mitzva<BR>including IVF" <<<BR><BR><BR>-- <BR>Eli
Turkel</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>>>>>
<DIV>Assuming we are not talking about using donor sperm (which would indeed be
halachically highly problematic), I think all poskim would agree that a child
conceived using IVF does fulfill the mitzva of peru urevu. All or most
poskim agree that it is mutar to do IVF (again, assuming husband sperm, not
donor sperm). However, I have never before heard anyone say it is /obligatory/
to use IVF, and would be highly surprised to hear anyone say it. IVF involves
the use of extremely powerful drugs, blood tests, daily injections as well
as minor surgery, and since all the pain and risks are borne by the woman -- who
does not have an obligation of peru urevu -- it is hard for me to see how this
could be /obligatory/. (My own memories of IVF are of very difficult
nisyonos with a personal yeshua at the end -- two beautiful daughters,
B'H). Maybe you could say that a man is obligated to divorce his wife if
she is unwilling to do IVF but I have definitely never heard anyone say anything
like that. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>BTW the first "test tube baby" was born in 1978 and RMF passed away in
1986. When RMF was alive IVF was still an experimental procedure with a
very poor success rate, and there were only a few clinics in the world that were
doing IVF, so he would certainly not have said there was a halachic requirement
to attempt it. </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><STRONG>--Toby Katz<BR>=============</STRONG></FONT><FONT lang=0
color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR></FONT><FONT
lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><BR>-------------------------------------------------------------------
</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><FONT
lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2
face=Arial><BR></FONT> </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>