Q&A: Conceiving in Order to Abort and Transplant Tissue from the Fetus to the Father
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Conceiving in Order to Abort and Transplant Tissue from the Fetus to the Father
Question
In your opinion, is it permissible—halakhically and ethically—for a woman to conceive and then abort the fetus in order to transplant its tissue into the brain of the father, who suffers from an illness?
Answer
A more fundamental question is whether it is permissible to do this to a fetus that already exists. If so, then perhaps one should go on to ask whether it is permissible to conceive it from the outset for that purpose.
I think it is forbidden to kill a fetus in order to save the life of another person, because of “why do you think this blood is redder than that one?” Especially according to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, who holds that killing a fetus is actual murder, just without liability for the death penalty.