Israel on Tuesday (4) lifted restrictions that prevented same-sex couples and single men from becoming parents through surrogates in the country, upholding a Supreme Court decision to end the ban.
“It is a historic day for the LGBT struggle in Israel,” Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said in announcing that the ministry has issued a circular guaranteeing equal access for all pregnant women for hire.
Israel’s LGBT community has for years demanded permission to practice surrogacy, which is now accessible to heterosexual couples and single women.
In July 2021, the country’s Supreme Court, following action by LGBT rights activists, ruled that the ban on surrogacy for same-sex couples and single men violated basic rights and should be lifted within six months.
Same-sex marriage is not allowed in Israel, but couples submit to an improvised arrangement whereby they can officiate abroad and recognize it at home.
In Brazil, contracting a paid surrogate service is illegal, but the so-called “solidarity belly” is allowed when it is not for profit — if there is no kinship of up to the fourth degree between the pregnant woman and the parents, however, authorization from the Regional Council of Medicine of the state where the procedure will be performed is required. Despite this, it is common to find illegal offers for surrogates in the country.
In a number of European countries surrogacy is banned even for non-profits, as in Spain, France and Germany. In others, such as the United Kingdom and Portugal, only the “solidarity belly” is allowed.
This makes many Europeans and even Brazilians look for paid service in eastern countries, such as Russia, Ukraine and Georgia or even in Kazakhstan, in Asia, where surrogacy is regulated. Some US states, such as California, also authorize surrogacy for commercial purposes.
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