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ithin the next two
weeks, Sara G. will un-
dergo an intensive ul-
trasound examination
at the Brooklyn IVF Center in
Dyker Heights. Technicians will
count the number of eggs in her
ovaries, test her hormone levels
and see how her body is re-
sponding to the fertility drugs
Lupron and Pergonal.
If the results are encouraging,
Sara and her husband, Men-
achem — a Chasidic couple in
their mid-20s who have been un-
able to conceive for five years —
will begin preparations for in-vit-
ro fertilization (IVF). The hoped-
for procedure, for the most part,
would be no different than some
33 IVF attempts performed an-
nually in the United States at
about 275 clinics — except for the
presence of Rabbi Abraham
Friedlander and Judy Fischer,
who will be carefully watching
the doctors and embryologists.
Rabbi Friedlander is the chap-
lain at Maimonides Medical Cen-
ter, which is affiliated with
Brooklyn IVF, and Fischer is a
patient representative who spe-
cializes in Orthodox needs. Mesh-
ing the strictures of ancient
halachic (Jewish law) sensibili-
ty with the innovations of phys-
ical science, the center says it has
created the first program for
hashgacha, or kosher certifica-
tion, of assisted reproduction out-
side Israel, where the practice is
common. The program answered
the needs of many religious cou-
ples who were upset over some
well-publicized cases of abuse,
such as tampering by fertility
doctors, says the Brooklyn IVF
director, Dr. Richard Grazi.
From the moment semen and
ova are collected through the
point of fertilization and im-
plantation in Sara's uterus, Rab-
bi Friedlander or Fischer will
ensure that the semen and ova
collected from Sara and Men-
achem cannot be switched — ei-
ther deliberately or accidentally
— with those of another couple.
Between collection and implan-
tation, the embryos are placed in
a locked incubator — only Rab-
bis Friedlander and Fischer have
the keys. Embryologists are un-
able to perform any work in their
absence.
It is this service, provided on
request, that drew Sara and
Menachem — who live outside
New York City — to Brooklyn
IVF. "For us, it all boils down to
who you trust," says Menachem,
not his real name, who is con-
cerned about the stories of tam-
pering. "You try to do your best
to cover as many bases as you
can, and the hashgacha in the
lab gives you that halachic peace
of mind." Hundreds of couples
have used the artificial insemi-
nation supervision service, Grazi
says, with about a dozen utiliz-
ing it for IVF. Most authorities
agree that there is no halachic
consequence for a woman im-
pregnated by the sperm of a man
other than her husband, or for
her offspring. The child is con-
sidered Jewish, with no effect on
his or her marriageability, un-
like the product of an adulterous
liaison, or mamzer, which may
only marry another mamzer.
Yet the concept of yichus , or
one's bloodline — is so central to
Judaism that some rabbis, in-
cluding the late Lubavitcher
rebbe, have stipulated that IVF
may only take place under prop-
er religious supervision. "We are
very protective of our genetic
line," says Grazi. "There are some
people who do hold that the is-
sue is mamzerut [illegitimacy].
But yichus is a very important
concept in the Jewish communi-
ty. That's one of the reasons why
the use of sperm donors is often
discouraged, even though ha-
lachically there are many rea-
sons to permit it."
One of the issues raised by
switched sperm or ova could per-
tain to the child of a kohen, or
high priest. If his lineage is in
doubt, the male child of a kohen
may not perform the priestly.
blessings. A less likely complica-
tion could stem from the possi-
bility of an egg or sperm coming
from a close relative.
The fee charged to a couple
ranges from $75 to $350, de-
pending on the procedure. And
the Brooklyn program seems to
be setting a trend: A similar pro-
gram was announced recently by
the Brandeis Center in Manhat-
tan, using the Baltimore-based
Star K supervision service, best
known for restaurant and food
certification. But while rabbinic
supervision of sperm and ova
may seem silly or unnecessary to
some, it is serious business for
Orthodox couples dealing with
the sensitivities of fertility ther-
apy. "A lot of people snickered
and sneered when they heard the
concept," says Fischer. "Unfor-
tunately, nobody's snickering
anymore. They've read in the
newspapers about the case of a
clinic in California where some
not-so-kosher things were going
on with eggs and sperm."
❑
New York Jewish Week