QUESTION

Is a condom ever permitted according to Halakha?

ANSWER

First, please note than an extensive presentation of the relevant sources on both sides of the issue, can be found in my source packet on birth control (in particular, the teshuvot of Rav Moshe, sources 41-44).

To respond briefly here – It is generally understood by the larger community that condoms are always forbidden. Amongst the poskim also, the dominant, although not unanimous, voice is that barring life-threatening situations (for example, a doctor who was poked by a dirty needle and is waiting for the results from an AIDS test,