Halachic Approaches to Establishing Paternity.
Halachic Approaches to Establishing Paternity.
| Approach/Criterion | Main Position | Representative Poskim/Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic/Sperm Source | The man whose sperm produces the child is generally regarded as the halachic father even when conception occurs without sexual intercourse; assisted reproduction does not by itself eliminate paternal lineage. | Rabbi Moshe Feinstein25; Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach23 |
| Non-coital Conception—Question Raised | The absence of intercourse raises a question whether the sperm provider fulfills pru u’rvu and whether the resulting child is considered his son “in every respect.” This source raises the doubt rather than establishing an opposing rule of paternity. | Rabbi Moses ben Isaac Judah Lima26 |
| IVF-Specific Disruption of Conventional Paternity | Under the minority view that extracorporeal fertilization disrupts ordinary genealogical relationships, the sperm provider may not acquire conventional halachic paternal status through IVF. | Rabbi Eliezer Waldenberg24 |
| Social/Raising Relationship—Not Technical Yichus | One who raises a child may be regarded as though he fathered the child in an important moral and social sense; this statement does not, by itself, establish technical halachic paternity for lineage, incest, inheritance, or kehuna/leviyah. | Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 19b27 |