A woman infected with Herpes should inform her future husband of her condition

20-5-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

Salamu Alaykum. There is a sister that has been infected by a disease called "Herpes". She got it from her previous marriage but she is now divorced. I want to ask if the sister is allowed to marry (again) with a person that does not have the disease, I also want to say that she is willing to do a caesarean Operation if she wants to have any other kids.( meaning the baby will come out her stomach to prevent any diseases for the baby.) SO my question is if this is allowed in islam, and if she is allowed to marry a person who does NOT have Herpes, and if she is allowed to do the caesarean operation to prevent the child from becoming deaf/blind,... Jazak'Allahu khairan

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

A woman being infected with Herpes is not an impediment for her getting married on condition that she informs her future husband of her condition (so that he would be aware of the matter and decide accordingly) as we have previously underlined in Fatwa 156813.

It is known that the obstetricians are the ones to decide how the delivery should be done; natural or cesarean, and that doctors do not opt for caesarean section unless necessary (for the safety of the baby and the mother). If there is no medical need, they choose vaginal delivery over C-section. Hence, we advise you to leave that matter to be decided by reliable and skilled doctors when it comes to choosing between C-section and vaginal delivery.

Allaah Knows best.