DY – who said anything about her discomfort overriding Halacha??? I clearly said that discussing if there is a way to address the discomfort WITHIN HALACHIC PARAMETERS is fine, but if there is no way around it, so be it – Halacha is Halacha. Bringing Rav Moshe’s Psak to show that MK Lipman’s interpretation of it is wrong is absolutely fine – in a Halachic discussion, bringing actual Halachic proofs is what should be done. My entire point was that people should challenge his view on the Halachic merits, and not based on whom he is.
As to the DC story – that is clearly 100% relevant. The individual in question was not only the “manager of the Mikva” – he was the lead Rav in a number of conversions. As such (and particularly given the publicity that story has received), the whole idea of a man or men watching the Tvila of a woman for Geirus makes a number of sincere want-to-be female converts more than a bit squeemish. If you can’t understand the relevance of that incident to addressing a woman’s feelings about Tevila, I’m sorry – it seems to me to be quite obvious.
BTW, after reading Rav Moshe’s psak, I agree that MK Lipman’s understanding of it appears inconsistent with the plain meaning. Thank you for providing the link.
an Israeli Yid