Women became pregnant and gave birth during the Holocaust. Due to Nazi restrictions on reproduction of Jewish lives, women faced overwhelming ethical dilemmas both as mothers and as caregivers of other women. Difficult life and death choices were faced following the banning of births in some ghettos, when in hiding with babies, and when arriving at camps during pregnancy. Doctors were confronted with conflicting ethical challenges when caring for these women while Rabbis were faced with difficult Halakhic guidelines. Some of these will be explored with discussion of options and choices made by women and caregivers to be discussed.
