The ban on Surrogacy (Surrogacy) for same-sex couples, single men and transgender people has just been officially lifted by the Israeli government.
It is “a historic day for the struggle of LGBTQI + people in Israel,” said Nitzan Horowitz, the country’s Minister of Health.
On January 4, the Minister announced the lifting of the targeted ban on surrogacy, which becomes effective as of Tuesday, January 11.
Supreme Court of Israel Allows Surrogacy (Surrogacy) for Same-Sex Couples #AFP pic.twitter.com/UVa3ji1I25
– Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) January 11, 2022
Until now, surrogacy was allowed in Israel, but was only available to heterosexual couples and single women. “Today we are ending injustice and discrimination. Everyone has the right to parenthood, ”greeted Nitzan Horowitz.
A measure that marks the culmination of ten years of struggle
“It’s an exciting day for me, as a gay minister who is well aware of the exclusion and discrimination we have suffered over the years,” he added.
Ten years ago, a petition was launched so that same-sex couples could, like heterosexual couples, have recourse to a surrogate mother.
In February 2020, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled to order lawmakers to end discrimination under surrogacy, saying the exclusion of same-sex couples and single men was unconstitutional.
A year and a half later, in July 2021, the country’s highest court decided to lift the ban on surrogacy, leaving six months to put the new measure in place.
This decision prompted a strong reaction from the opposition, including Bezalel Smotrich, of the Religious Zionism party, who called it “the collapse of the Jewishness of the state of Israel.”
