Court orders Ministry of Defense to recognize man as IDF widower
Officer died of breast cancer after periodic IDF health checks did not ask about prevalence of disease among family members; Lod Court rules in favor of family
By YAAKOV LAPPINISRAEL SUPREME Court justices at a hearing. The court has invalidated the infiltrators law.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The Lod District Court ordered the Defense Ministry to recognize the husband of a female IDF officer who died of cancer as an IDF widower after a lengthy legal battle.During the campaign, the widower of Maj. “Z” (full name withheld) said the IDF failed to properly carry out periodic breast cancer tests during checkups by not asking about the prevalence of the disease among the officer’s family. She developed cancer and died in 2009, aged 36, leaving behind a husband and young son.The IDF countered that it was not responsible for ensuring it received information on family medical background, and the ministry did not recognize the man as an IDF widower, according to a report by Ynet.Such recognition includes services and financial support from the ministry’s Families and Commemoration Branch.The court ruled in the family’s favor and agreed that medical negligence had occurred.The ministry said in a statement sent to The Jerusalem Post that it respects the decision by the court and the late officer’s family, adding that family members will be cared for by the Families and Commemoration Branch.Responding to the ruling, the IDF Spokesman’s Office said the military “partakes in the family’s sorrow. As in every case of death, the chief medical officer appointed a committee of investigation to clarify the circumstances of the death. The committee carried out a comprehensive check, and in accordance with its findings, the military decided to improve the process of early detection. It added a medical questionnaire about cases of breast cancer among family members.”
