In Wrongful Birth and Wrongful Life lawsuits, a party makes a claim against a medical professional for failure to diagnose or disclose to parents the likelihood that their child would live a painful or miserable life. In some cases, the parents claim they would avoided pregnancy. In others, they would have had the option of performing an abortion.
I think that for most readers of this site, the immediate reaction would be negative. If a person harms another, the victim has the right to compensation. But if as a result of my inaction, a person was born, (even assuming that Halacha would view see that inaction that resulted in another inaction as a legally proximate cause,) it is the Ribono shel Olam that ordained that the person be born, and one can not blame anyone for that birth that is God's will.
But we find several places where the Torah discusses a parent's decision to not have children because he or she knew that the children would have miserable lives, or be wicked, or die.
If such a decision is morally defensible, then it follows that failing to inform a parent that they ought to make such a decision would be considered to be a breach of duty and therefore actionable.
1. Rashi Breishis 4:23-24. The wives of Lemech separated from him. They said, what's the point of having children if they're going to die anyway?
Mizrachi - They said that while the Mitzva of Pirya v'Rivya obligates them to have children irrespective of their fate, once they had children, it made no sense to have children that were fated to die. Lamech disagreed.
which leads us to 2.
2. Yeshaya told Chizkiyahu that he would die because he refused to marry. Chizkiyahu made that decision because he saw that he would father wicked children. Yeshaya told him it was not his business to decide whether to fulfill the mitzva of PvR. He had to do it, come what may. Chizkiyahu said he would marry if Yeshaya would give him his daughter. Chizkiyahu did in fact marry Yeshayahu's daughter.
The Brisker Rov, who says that Rivka felt that her pregnancy was "wrong," seems to be inconsistent with the Mizrachi, who says that women also are under this obligation until they fulfill the mitzva of PvR.
4. Amram and Yocheved.
They already had children, and they decided to separate and have no more children, because what would be the point in having children that would be killed by Pharaoh?
In each of these cases, someone decided that having children would be wrong or immoral. In each of these cases, the decision apparently did not stand. Lemech convinced his wives to return, Chizkiyah did get married, Rivka accepted that her pregnancy was a good thing, and Amram and Yocheved got remarried. There is a great deal more to say about this; it might depend on whether the child will die or become a rasha, whether the parent's had fulfilled PvR, and more. I hope I'll fill it in over time.
I think that for most readers of this site, the immediate reaction would be negative. If a person harms another, the victim has the right to compensation. But if as a result of my inaction, a person was born, (even assuming that Halacha would view see that inaction that resulted in another inaction as a legally proximate cause,) it is the Ribono shel Olam that ordained that the person be born, and one can not blame anyone for that birth that is God's will.
But we find several places where the Torah discusses a parent's decision to not have children because he or she knew that the children would have miserable lives, or be wicked, or die.
If such a decision is morally defensible, then it follows that failing to inform a parent that they ought to make such a decision would be considered to be a breach of duty and therefore actionable.
1. Rashi Breishis 4:23-24. The wives of Lemech separated from him. They said, what's the point of having children if they're going to die anyway?
שבעים ושבעה. לְשׁוֹן רִבּוּי שְׁבִיעִיּוֹת אָחַז לוֹ, כָּךְ דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא. וּמִדְרַשׁ בְּרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה לֹא הָרַג לֶמֶךְ כְּלוּם, וְנָשָׁיו פּוֹרְשׁוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ מִשֶּׁקִיְּמוּ פְּרִיָה וּרְבִיָּה, לְפִי שֶׁנִּגְזְרָה גְּזֵרָה לְכַלּוֹת זַרְעוֹ שֶׁל קַיִן לְאַחַר שִׁבְעָה דוֹרוֹת, אָמְרוּ מָה אָנוּ יוֹלְדוֹת לַבֶּהָלָה? לְמָחָר הַמַּבּוּל בָּא וְשׁוֹטֵף אֶת הַכֹּל וְהוּא אוֹמֵר לָהֶן וְכִי אִישׁ הָרַגְתִּי לְפִצְעִי? וְכִי אֲנִי הָרַגְתִּי אֶת הֶבֶל, שֶׁהָיָה אִישׁ בְּקוֹמָה וְיֶלֶד בַּשָּׁנִים, שֶׁיְּהֵא זַרְעִי כָּלֶה בְּאוֹתוֹ עָוֹן? וּמַה קַּיִן שֶׁהָרַג נִתְלָה לוֹ שִׁבְעָה דוֹרוֹת, אֲנִי שֶׁלֹּא הָרַגְתִּי, לֹא כָּ"שֶׁ שֶׁיִּתָּלוּ לִי שְׁבִיעִיּוֹת הַרְבֵּה? וְזֶהוּ קַל וָחֹמֶר שֶׁל שְׁטוּת, אִם כֵּן אֵין הַקָּבָּ"ה גּוֹבֶה אֶת חוֹבוֹ וּמְקַיֵּם אֶת דְּבָרוֹ:
Mizrachi - They said that while the Mitzva of Pirya v'Rivya obligates them to have children irrespective of their fate, once they had children, it made no sense to have children that were fated to die. Lamech disagreed.
שכיון שידעו בבירור שאין תועלת בפריה ורביה הזאת שסופן כלייה וטעם המצוה הזאת אינה רק משום לא תהו בראה לשבת יצרה אם כן אין בה קיום מצוה ושמא יש לומר שאף על פי כן חייבות הן לקיים את המצוה וה' יעשה את שלו כההיא דפרק קמא דברכות דאמר מאי כי מת אתה ולא תחיה' מת אתה' בעולם הזה ולא תחיה' בעולם הבא אמר ליה מאי כולי האי אמר ליה משום דלא עסקת בפריה ורביה אמר ליה משום דחזאי לי ברוח הקדש דנפקי מינאי בנין דלא מעלו אמר ליה בהדי כבשי דרחמנא למה לך מאי דמפקדת איבעי לך למעבד ומאי דניחא קמיה קב"ה ליעביד וכמו שאמר להון אדם הראשון כשקבל אותן למך לפניוי אלא שהן היוסוברות שאין לומר זה אלא במקום קיום מצות פריה ורביה אבל אחר שקיימו אותה אין ראוי לעשות יותר כיון שסופן כלייה וכשקבל אותן למך לאדם על זה אמר להן דאף על פי כן לא ימשכו עצמך והשם יעשה את שלו
which leads us to 2.
2. Yeshaya told Chizkiyahu that he would die because he refused to marry. Chizkiyahu made that decision because he saw that he would father wicked children. Yeshaya told him it was not his business to decide whether to fulfill the mitzva of PvR. He had to do it, come what may. Chizkiyahu said he would marry if Yeshaya would give him his daughter. Chizkiyahu did in fact marry Yeshayahu's daughter.
3. Rivka.
תולדות כה-כב ויתרוצצו הבנים בקרבה ותאמר אם כן למה זה אנכי
ופירש"י מתאוה ומתפללת על הריון'
והנראה דהנה איתא בברכות י שנאמר בימים ההם חלה חזקיהו למות ויבא אליו ישעיהוויאמר אליו כה אמר ה' צו לביתך כי מת אתהמשום דלא עסקתא בפריה ורביה א"ל משום דחזאי לי ברוח הקודש דנפקאי מנאי בנין דלא מעלי א"ל בהדי כבשא דרחמנא למה לך מאי דמפקדת איבעי לך למעבד וכו' חזינן דאף שיצאו בנין מעלי כישעיהו וצדקיהו מ"מ אם יצאו גם רשעים לא רצה לעסוק בפריה ורביה
והנה התשובה על זה מאי דמפקדת איבעי לך למעבד והיינו דבעצם טענתו צדק בזה ורק דכיון דמצוה הוא מחוייב הוא לעשות מה שנצטווה וזהו הביאור כאן דהנה פירש"י על ויתרוצצו שהיתה עוברת על פתחי תורה של שם ועבר יעקב רץ ומפרכס לצאת עוברת על פתח ע"א עשו מפרכס לצאת עכ"ל ולזה כשידעה רבקה שיצאו ממנה גם בנין דלא מעלי והיא אשה הלא איננה מצווה על פריה ורביה על כן אמרה א"כ למה זה אנכי דאם היתה מצווה לא היתה אומרת כלום וכנ"ל בחזקיהו אך מכיון שאינה מצווה אם יצא רשע הגם שיצא גם צדילן טענה למה זה אנכי
The Brisker Rov, who says that Rivka felt that her pregnancy was "wrong," seems to be inconsistent with the Mizrachi, who says that women also are under this obligation until they fulfill the mitzva of PvR.
4. Amram and Yocheved.
They already had children, and they decided to separate and have no more children, because what would be the point in having children that would be killed by Pharaoh?
In each of these cases, someone decided that having children would be wrong or immoral. In each of these cases, the decision apparently did not stand. Lemech convinced his wives to return, Chizkiyah did get married, Rivka accepted that her pregnancy was a good thing, and Amram and Yocheved got remarried. There is a great deal more to say about this; it might depend on whether the child will die or become a rasha, whether the parent's had fulfilled PvR, and more. I hope I'll fill it in over time.
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