PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsNewsIsrael: Protests and a hunger strike over surrogate babies stuck in Thailand

BioNews

Israel: Protests and a hunger strike over surrogate babies stuck in Thailand

Published 24 January 2014 posted in News and appears in BioNews 739

Author

Ari Haque

PET BioNews

Supporters of the parents of 65 babies born to surrogate mothers in Thailand have gathered outside the home of Israeli interior minister Gideon Sa'ar to protest the Israeli Government's refusal to accord citizenship to the children...

Supporters of the parents of 65 babies born to surrogate mothers in Thailand have gathered outside the home of Israeli interior minister Gideon Sa'ar to protest the Israeli Government's refusal to accord citizenship to the children.

One of the parents, Rubi Israeli Halbreich, who had twins with his partner, Dotan, through a surrogate mother in Thailand, began a hunger strike. Halbreich's son is suffering from a head injury which doctors in Thailand have so far been unable to diagnose.

The Government attributes its refusal to accord citizenship to Thailand's law on surrogacy, under which a child born to a Thai mother is automatically granted Thai citizenship. There are currently no provisions in place to regulate the treatment of children born to surrogate mothers in Thailand.

Sa'ar posted an expression of empathy for the situation of the parents on his Facebook page. However, he also reiterated that there continues to be a conflict between Thai and Israeli law about the treatment of infants born to surrogates.

Other members of the Israeli Government, including gay Knesset member Nitzan Horowitz, disagree with the Government's justification of the refusals. Ninety percent of those affected are same-sex couples who argue that the Government's actions seek to unfairly prejudice them.

'The mothers knew from the beginning what they're getting into', said Horowitz's spokesman. 'They signed a contract. They gave up any parental rights to the children. There shouldn't be any problem. Israel made up a problem'.

The Israeli Government has been in talks with Thai officials about the treatment of these infants. A breakthrough was made when the Israeli Foreign Ministry approved a draft agreement submitted by one of the Israeli couples involved, in which the Thai woman who carried the child for them agreed to allow for the child's permanent removal from Thailand.

It is expected that Israeli passports will be issued in the next few days, after the Government of Thailand issues its approval. This deal will allow parents to bring back their children from Thailand.

However, Halbreich, the parent on hunger strike, has said that he will not end his protest until he receives an official guarantee that his child will be granted Israeli citizenship. He alleges that the Israeli consulate in Thailand has not taken steps to progress the case.

In response, spokesman Yigal Palmor said: 'The legal branch of the Foreign Ministry informed the lawyer representing one of the couples that the document presented to us in which the surrogate mother agrees to let the child leave Thailand permanently meets our requirements'. He added that the lawyer had been informed that once the document has been translated and verified, the parents could get a travel document from the consulate.

Gil Ovadia Leibowitz, a lawyer representing some of the parents, also urges caution. 'It's a wonderful achievement; the parents will leave in a matter of days... this arrangement doesn't cut off the surrogate mother's rights regarding her child according to Thai law and does not remove her name from the birth certificate', he said.

The ongoing complexity surrounding the situation has led to the Israeli Government issuing an instruction to avoid surrogacy procedures in Thailand. It has also said that as of 30 November 2014, it will no longer assist couples who have undertaken such procedures.

Related Articles

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Comment
11 August 2014 • 4 minutes read

Surrogacy, motherhood and Baby Gammy

by Sascha Callaghan and 1 others

The story of the baby with Down's syndrome 'abandoned' in Thailand, which has dominated the news, illustrates how the international surrogacy industry has been booming...

Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
News
9 June 2014 • 2 minutes read

Israel's Cabinet approves surrogacy for same-sex couples and single people

by Patricia Cassidy

A bill permitting same-sex couples and single men and women to use surrogacy in Israel has been approved by the Israeli Cabinet. The bill now needs to be passed by Israel's parliament, the Knesset, before it can become law...

Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
News
31 January 2014 • 2 minutes read

Israeli surrogacy crisis moves to resolution while Health Ministry supports law change for gay couples

by Rebecca Carr

Israel has issued its first passport to a baby born to a Thai surrogate, after the intended parents protested against the Government's refusal to grant the child Israeli citizenship...

Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
News
16 December 2013 • 2 minutes read

Israeli health minister moves to lift surrogacy restrictions for singles and gay couples

by Victoria Rivas Llanos

The Israeli Health Minister, Yael German, has announced the introduction of a new measure to allow unmarried and homosexual men and women access to surrogacy services in the country...

Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
Image by Dr Christina Weis. © Christina Weis
News
23 August 2013 • 2 minutes read

Israel: lesbian couple refused surrogacy procedure

by Ayesha Ahmad

A court in Israel has rejected a lesbian couple's request to undergo a surrogacy procedure in the country....

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
5 March 2013 • 2 minutes read

Israel gives gay men the right to conceive children via a surrogate

by Sarah Pritchard

Gay men should be allowed to use a surrogate to have children, an Israeli public health committee has recommended. It also suggested single women should be permitted to use a surrogate to conceive and favoured non-anonymous sperm donation....

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
13 February 2013 • 2 minutes read

Israel: biological mother recognised as parent in landmark surrogacy decision

by Ruth Retassie

A Tel Aviv family court judge has set a precedent by recognising a woman whose twins were born via a surrogate as the legal parent...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Decoded hookworm DNA helps highlight drug targets

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
13 June 2022 • 2 minutes read

Drop in diversity of blood stem cells leads to old-age health issues

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

First UK medical guidelines issued for trans fertility preservation

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Common virus may be cause of recent hepatitis cases in children

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Male age has more impact on IVF birth rate than previously thought

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

CRISPR genome editing treatments may raise cancer risk

1 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

Differences in IVF-conceived children's size disappear by adolescence

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856