January 1, 2008

Israel’s Welfare Ministry plans a new initiative that will enable same sex couples to adopt babies. The proposal follows the ruling earlier this month by Israel’s Supreme Court that the Interior Ministry must register the female partner of a mother as her child’s second parent. The lesbian couple was represented by flagship NIF grantee Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).

Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog is reportedly encouraged by this and other recent legal breakthroughs for Israel’s LGBT community and strongly feels that all same-sex couples, even if they do not have a biological connection to a child, should have the same right to adopt as heterosexual couples. Herzog recently convened a meeting of senior legal advisors to discuss his proposal. The plan, undoubtedly, will encounter fierce hostility from Israel’s religious parties, including government coalition partner Shas, which has already announced its opposition.