Category: Israel surrogacy

Single women are eligible for surrogacy but same-sex couples are not under a bill advanced by a Knesset committee.

The surrogacy bill must pass a second and third reading in the full Knesset to become law. The Labor, Welfare and Health Committee passed the measure in an 8-4 vote, with government coalition members in favor and the opposition against. The committee rejected an amendment to allow same-sex couples to undergo surrogacy.

Currently, only couples who are married and heterosexual have the right to hire a surrogate in Israel.

Under the bill, a family may have five children by surrogacy instead of the two now allowed, and a surrogate can give birth five times, including her own children, and up to age 39.

Itzik Shmuli of the Zionist Union, who is gay, attempted to sway his fellow committee members on extending the legislation to same-sex couples.

“I want to be a father and I cannot be a father. To do this, I have to go to a foreign country, pay $140,000 and hope it’s all right. My life is full, but there is always a part missing that accompanies me everywhere,” Shmuli said. “We are good enough to serve the country, but not to be parents. It’s an insult I cannot describe. It is a situation that is simply discriminatory, painful, and full of insults and dishonesty. This is wrong.”

Likud lawmaker Amir Ohana, who is openly gay and proposed the amendment to include same-sex couples in the bill that was not approved, told the committee about his difficulties in creating a family.

July 10, 2018 – JTA.org

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Source: Time for Families

Assistant chief justice indicates it’s time to widen access to additional family units; ruling delayed for 6 months

The High Court of Justice in Israel has said gay people have the right to become parents through surrogacy, giving campaigners hope of amending legislation that makes only a man and woman eligible.

However, a final ruling has been delayed for six months.

Assistant Chief Justice Salim Joubran on Thursday told gay couples, single women and advocacy groups who petitioned the court that it was time for “widening access to surrogacy in Israel to additional family units which are not included today,” according to documents seen by AFP.

“I find it hard to agree with a situation which prevents single people and same-sex couples fulfilling their right to become parents through surrogacy agreements,” he said.

“I myself cannot see any justice in giving preference to heterosexual parenting over same-sex parenting,” added Joubran, whose comments in court came the same day as thousands attended a Gay Pride parade under police protection in Jerusalem.

But Joubran, in his last decision before retiring from the bench, postponed for six months a ruling on the suit, in order to allow a new draft law, currently before parliament, to be finalized.

“The time is not yet ripe to rule on the petitions in light of the legislative process in process in parliament,” he said.

The new bill has passed its first reading and is now before a committee preparing it for its second and third readings.

As it stands, the draft still bars same-sex couples and single gay men, but it would extend surrogacy to single women on condition that the host is genetically related to the woman whose eggs are implanted into her.

The judge said the bill was likely to be amended at the committee stage to reflect at least some of the concerns raised by the petitioners, and the court could then make its ruling based on the final document.

BY AFP AND TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF August 4, 2017

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The post Israel High Court says it’s in favor of surrogacy for same-sex couples appeared first on Time For Families.

Source: Time for Families