MAGAZINE ABOUT LIFE IN ISRAEL

Tel Aviv Court Grants 55-Year-Old Woman Parental Rights

in Life, Culture & Sports

As of Wednesday, the Tel Aviv district court ruled that a woman can be recognized as a baby’s adopted mother if the child is conceived through surrogacy abroad, even if the woman does not have a partner and is not genetically linked. This ruling set a new precedent for what has been and continues to be an uphill battle for single women who struggle with fertility and turn to surrogacy as a means of becoming a mother.

In the past, single women without a genetic link to the child were not able to be recognized as a parent. If a woman needed to receive both sperm and egg donation, this would mean she is unable to adopt. However, thanks to the new court approval, the court agrees that if a woman does her surrogacy abroad, the state of Israel will accept the decision.

The court case was initiated by a 55-year old woman who wanted a child, had fertility issues and ran out of options in Israel, so was left to surrogacy or adoption elsewhere. When she landed back in Israel, she was challenged as a rightful parent, and so she decided to go to court.

The lawyers who represented the woman, Shmuel Moran and Noa Gellerman said in a statement, “when technology allows it, new paths are open and the law must reflect this. The district court took an important step in confirming the law to ‘the new world’ but [we] still believe, with all due respect, that the demand to terminate rights as parents, even if formal, from an anonymous donor or surrogates, whose rights have already been terminated, is unnecessary.”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Latest from Life, Culture & Sports

Go to Top