in vitro fertilization: Jewish consideration

Ten percent of the population cannot have children, even though the majority of the Jewish authorities allow test tube conception, they also worry about what to do with the genetic material that is left over. Two of the only reasons why chief Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef gave his qualified approval to the vitro fertilization was if the husband could not produce enough sperm with each ejaculation to get his wife pregnant, another reason is if the women is unable to move the egg from the ovary into the uterus because of blocked fallopian tubes. Shlomo Goren, another former chief Rabbi stated that this manner is morally unacceptable but legally unobjectionable. This procedure does not include adultery since the sperm and egg are obtained for this procedure which is permissible because in the Torah, the first amendment stated to be fruitful and multiply. This helps fulfill the biblical commandment of procreation, the parents can now fulfill their obligation with having children. Objections can exist if a woman tries to use another male’s sperm other than the husband this is one of certain Jewish legal problems. Jewish law is really strict about the disrespect of the Sabbath, to keep the existence of an embryo in the mother’s womb even if it has been there for a short period of time. If there is not life outside the uterus, the fertilized ovum can be disposed. Jewish legal objections to end vitro fertilizations. Women have the right to decide if they want the procedure to happen. Women’s obligation to populate the universe, bring lives’ to the world, are limited by means of natural intercourse. When more than one fertilized egg is implanted into the woman, this may result in a multiply pregnancy. There is cases where there are three or more fetuses growing in the womb, this results in high risks of pregnancy, this can also result of high risk of the fetuses’ death. When then the women is being treated with IVF she goes through hormone treatment and her ovaries can produce over 20 eggs per cycle. Some of them are used and try to fertilize them and the rest are freeze for the future. In the process the entire fertilization procedure must be strictly supervised by a trained and third party Jewish person. Medical staff, family members including the wife and husband are not able to supervise the entire procedure. Therefore the third party must be someone that has gone under serious training, and is very informed of the case and has studied it deeply.