Permissibility of Sending Epileptic Woman to Non-Jewish Clergy for Dangerous Treatment

From: Rabbi Moshe Sofer

To: Rabbi Avraham Moshe

Description

The Chasam Sofer rules it is forbidden to place an epileptic young woman in the care of non-Jewish priest-physicians whose treatment risks death and requires eating non-kosher food under conditions of religious coercion. He marshals five independent grounds for prohibition, including that the treatment is life-threatening, that the usual leniency for non-Jewish physicians does not apply, and that the conditions amount to forced apostasy invoking yehareg ve'al ya'avor. He concludes that the father has no legal obligation to fund her care and that the community should admit her to a Jewish communal hospital.

Source: Shu"t Chasam Sofer YD §76

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