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This may seem like a very odd question, however I remember seeing this talked about explicitly. Is there any prohibition of urinating in front of another person? Say for example you are the bathroom taking a showering and someone (of the same gender) has to urinate very badly. Is there any problem of doing it while the person is there in the bathroom and might see (obviously they could look away.)

Again, I realize it's an odd question but I remember see explicitly that it's a problem to urinate (or defecate as well of course -- perhaps even worse) if someone else is in the same bathroom together or is able to see you. Obviously one could then ask if there is a problem to use a restroom for men where there are urinals.

Yehoshua
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  • related http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/60038/halachically-why-are-men-allowed-to-use-urinals. Regarding your home bathroom, this has an easy solution. Most showers have curtains and / or doors. I would hope that you are using them even when there is no one else using the toilet, otherwise, have fun mopping up the soapy, scummy flood on your floor. – DanF Jun 09 '15 at 20:58

2 Answers2

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Explicit in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch סימן ד - הנהגת בית הכסא - at the end of Se'if 2:

וּלְהַשְׁתִּין, מֻתָּר בְּכָל עִנְיָן. לֹא יִפָּנֶה בִּפְנֵי שׁוּם אָדָם. וַאֲפִלּוּ בִּפְנֵי נָכְרִי, אָסוּר. אֲבָל לְהַשְׁתִּין, מֻתָּר אֲפִלּוּ בַּיּוֹם בִּפְנֵי רַבִּים אִם צָרִיךְ לְכָךְ, מִשּׁוּם דְּאִכָּא סַכָּנָה אִם יַעֲצֹר אֶת עַצְמוֹ. וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם יֵשׁ לוֹ לְהִסְתַּלֵּק לִצְדָדִים.

One may urinate in front of people, if there's no quick & easy way to do so privately.

However, this refers to men. Regarding women the באר היטב in סימן ג - הנהגת בית הכסא brings the Gemara in בכורות דף מ''ד ע''ב that they shouldn't do so in front of males - even babies.

אמר אביי הא איתתא לא תקום להדיא באנפי ינוקא אגיסא לית לן בה

Rashi says the reason is דחוצפתא היא - it's brazen behaviour.

Danny Schoemann
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Igros Moshe Yoreh Deah 3 siman 47,5 brings from the gemara in Bechoros 44b that it is assur to act with 'tznius' when urinating because of the health risk.

He goes on to say though that if it is easy and quick to be more private about it, than it is allowed. He therefore suggests not to use urinals at all, but rather use the full service station being that it is more private. But of course when one is not available, one should not wait at all, but use the urinal.

It should be noted he was discussing the old American urinals which had no walls whatsoever, as he goes on to suggest to build urinals with separators for all new buildings. It is not clear if urinals with walls would be just as tznius in his eyes as the regular stall.

Danny Schoemann
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user6591
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  • And of course Mar bar Rav Ashi's line in that gemara is always a great ice breaker the first time someone meets their mother in law. – user6591 Jun 09 '15 at 19:43
  • So only because of tznius? I always had in my mind there was an additional "reason" why one should urinate in front of someone else. – Yehoshua Jun 09 '15 at 20:33
  • I'm not sure what you are hinting at. There are other gemaras not to urinate naked by your bed and stuff like that, but this gemara is discussing the decency issue. If you care to divulge this "reason" you are thinking of, we can work from there. – user6591 Jun 09 '15 at 20:36
  • I really don't have any "reason" in mind, I just have in my mind a specific place where it was discussed, but can't remember where or the reason. – Yehoshua Jun 09 '15 at 20:43
  • So check out that gemara. Might jog your memory. – user6591 Jun 09 '15 at 20:46