To chek the gender of a fetus on a ultrasound

Question:

Is there any interest in not checking on ultrasound if there is a boy or girl before giving birth? Also, in a way that they have checked and know what they have, is there any interest in not telling anyone? And even if it is, how serious is it? Thank you.

Answer:

From the law, there is certainly no room for fear in this, and it is permissible to check the newborn using an ultrasonic scanner (“ultrasound”) and even tell the test results to others.

However, as well as many members of the Torah, used to avoid this clarification, and their leadership should be based on the words of the Sages in the Midrash, and many reasons were also stated for this leadership, as will be explained in the sources below. And it is explained there, that the source of the midrash can be rejected, and also almost all the reasons stated in this are repressed, but in joining all the sources together, one who wants to be precise in this he has on what to relay on . And if the Jews are not prophets, they can still be the sons of prophets.

And Maran z”l in general was not comfortable with ultrasound examinations (even regular examination, and not necessarily a systems review, etc.), for fear that they would mistakenly “discover” malformations that do not exist (as is usually found), and therefore if the whole purpose of the examination is only to ascertain the gender of the fetus, and not for medical purposes or for pregnancy follow-up, it is certainly not recommended. [And to a Cohen’s wife, Maran z”l wrote her that she should be advised not do a ultrasound, see below in the sources.] And still if she needs to undergo an ultrasound examination, and wants to ask the technician whether the fetus is male or female, and is not a Cohen’s wife, in this matter there is no explicit disclosure in the opinion of rabbi ovadia yosef.

And if there is a real reason why you want to know the gender of the newborn (apart from the mere fact of curiosity), there is no great deal to it, and you can ask the technician about the gender of the fetus, as mentioned above. And still, it is true that they will not tell others, that this is the degree of modesty of the woman as will be explained in the sources, but even this, instead of necessity, since there is no legal prohibition on anything, you can make it easier, and tell others. And if the grandparents are not among the circles that used to hide the gender of the fetus, and want to know, and do not understand what interest there is in preventing the information in this, then “respecting the father and mother” is surely a more serious issue than the issue of hiding the gender of the fetus, and can be told without fear.

Sources