September 2014

A Jewish View of Infertility and its Treatment

Infertility is not a recent phenomenon. On the contrary, three of the four biblical matriarchs suffered from infertility. The Torah, or Old Testament, documents in Genesis the suffering of Sarah, Rebecca and Rachel due to infertility. The narrative details much of the human drama in the relationships between the matriarchs and their husbands, and the matriarchs and God. Nowadays couples have access to a range of treatment options, depending on their circumstances. Under Jewish law, medical intervention including IVF is permitted.

Low cost IVF might not actually cost less - economically or emotionally

Assoc. Professor Mark Bowman told an international gathering of fertility specialists that the ‘low cost’ models of IVF recently introduced in Australia did not really represent low cost to society and bore little resemblance to true low cost methods that were utilized in developing countries.