Q&A: Coercion Regarding Procreation
Coercion Regarding Procreation
Question
Hello, Rabbi. According to the view that says one compels with respect to procreation, why do they force a man to divorce his wife if he has not merited to be built up through her after ten years, and not allow them, if they want, to continue living together while he marries another?
Answer
This is a question of social norms. Today they certainly do not force him to divorce her. In the past, the attitude toward a woman was instrumental, as though she were a machine for procreation. The enactment of Rabbenu Gershom expresses part of the change that took place in this regard, and nowadays this is of course even more so.
Beyond that, it is not even certain that they compel him. He has the right to divorce her and pay the marriage settlement. And perhaps they also attribute it to their shared fate, and therefore prefer that she be built up through someone else.
See an overview here: https://www.daat.ac.il/mishpat-ivri/skirot/skira.asp?id=195