Q&A: Prostate Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Question
Good evening, Rabbi,
Recently I heard a podcast on medicine, and the doctor there said that the male body has a mechanism of releasing semen that is naturally produced every 4 days, and if it is not released it goes back to the prostate and can cause illnesses. She said they studied Mormon monks (I hope I remember correctly) who managed to prevent semen release for a long time, and they had significantly higher rates of prostate cancer. My question is: assuming this is true and the study is really accurate (which of course needs to be checked), how does this affect the attitude toward releasing semen by masturbation? Is it still forbidden, and should people avoid it?
Answer
I am not familiar with this issue, but from experience it is certainly worth checking with other experts as well. All kinds of experts say all kinds of things and even present them as well-established information, and that is not always the case.
But let us assume for the sake of discussion that there really is solid scientific information about such harm, and let us also assume for the sake of discussion that the danger is real and the harm is significant (that too is not clear). In that situation, in my opinion this certainly permits semen release, preferably in a permitted way (but if that is not possible, then even in a forbidden way). It is no worse than semen release for his wife’s pleasure and his own. It is not “in vain.” And of course, this should be done only to the extent medically necessary.