Logo

A disabled Israeli man has won a “wrongful birth” lawsuit against the state and a health maintenance organization — and will be paid $2.7 million in damages, according to a report.

A court ruled that doctors were negligent during the pregnancy of the 27-year-old’s mother by failing to detect emerging congenital birth defects during routine tests, the Times of Israel reported.

The suit was filed by the brother and legal guardian of the man, who has cerebral palsy and severe intellectual disabilities, according to the outlet. He also was diagnosed with schizophrenia after his mother died in 2011.

Doctors at the state-run Galilee Medical Center and Clalit HMO also failed to inform the 43-year-old mother — who also suffered from schizophrenia — of the option of aborting the fetus, according to the suit.

The woman, whose pregnancy was unplanned, had previously given birth to five children, two of whom died in childhood — one in a drowning at age 6, and one by sudden infant death syndrome. Her husband died in 2017.

According to the suit, the HMO failed to properly monitor the fetus and perform genetic testing, while the hospital was negligent in sending the woman home when she sought to terminate the pregnancy.

In 2012, the Israeli Supreme Court distinguished between “wrongful birth” lawsuits, when parents sue the authorities, and “wrongful life” cases, when children or their guardians sue.

The disabled man’s case was accepted as a “wrongful birth” claim, though his parents are no longer living.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy