What is the ruling on the marriage of a man and a woman who are carriers of the sickle cell gene?

Sickle cell anemia is a type of hereditary anemia that changes the shape of the red blood cell to a crescent shape when oxygen is deficient, leading to a shortened cell life, severe joint and bone pain, bone erosion, and sudden crises that require blood transfusions.

It is permissible for a carrier of the disease or someone afflicted with it to marry a healthy person, but it is dangerous for them to marry a person who is afflicted or a carrier of the disease like themselves, because their children will be susceptible to the disease.

Among the purposes of marriage is to produce righteous and healthy offspring. If the prospective spouses know that their marriage may result in sick children, it is better for them to forgo the marriage to avert harm.

It is permissible for a person afflicted with the disease or a carrier of it to marry if they disclose their illness, and if the other party accepts that after knowing their condition. They may also agree not to have children. Concealing the illness is a forbidden deception.