If Professor Idit Maya has her way, countless Jewish families in Israel and around the world will be spared from confusing information and, in some cases, agonizing decisions about possible termination of pregnancies due to the risk of hereditary diseases.

In an exclusive interview with JNS from her office and lab at the Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Hospital, which is affiliated with the Clalit Health Services in Petach Tikvah, Maya, the acting director of RMC’s Genetics Institute and head of the research team, explained that current global standards may overestimate the risk of genetic defects in the offspring of Jewish couples.

This can cause unnecessary alarm for parents who undergo prenatal testing for genetic disease. The results of the study have “significant implications, especi

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