Incontinence Underwear on Shabbat
Question
Hi…….I am in a situation where I need to wear men’s underwear to deal with incontinence. When the urine hits a superabsorbent core substance in the underwear, it is turned into a gel which can hold about 25x times its weight. I’m trying to clarify if this process could cause any Shabbat problem. ( I haven’t really searched if there is an underwear which could work a different way.)
Answers
Firstly, please accept my Brocha that Hashem grant you a Refuah Shelaymah Bimheirah.
I asked a Posek who is an expert in Hilchos Shabbos and he said that if there is no other alternative it would be permissible to use them on Shabbos. He explained that turning a liquid into a gel is not considered to be as problematic as turning a solid into a liquid (which is forbidden on Shabbos). Secondly, he said that your personal dignity is also a factor. If it is easier for you to wear them on Shabbos than regular adult absorbers, he felt that it was also a factor to be included in the final ruling. Thirdly, he said that because you have no use or need for the contents of the underwear either during or after Shabbos, that is an additional reason to be lenient.
He felt that, due to all of those details together, it was permissible if you cannot find a less problematic alternative.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team