An amendment to the Surrogacy Law in Israel passed its first reading in Knesset last week, a law that would permit a woman to act as a surrogate for any couple, not just for married couples. The present law permits surrogacy for married couples exclusively, couples whose marriage is recognized by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
Health Minister (Yesh Atid) Yael German is behind the amendment to permit surrogate pregnancies for any couples, not just married couples. Such a move is a violation of the coalition agreement signed with the Bayit Yehudi party but coalition agreement aside, the bill passed its first reading in a 45 to 15 vote.
While the vote was cause for celebration in Yesh Atid, the Bayit Yehudi party was fuming. MK Yoni Chetboun warned if passed into law, this amendment will create a catastrophic situation which would many people were suspect regarding their Yiddishkheit or mamzerus. He added this will compel maintaining sifrei yuchasin.
MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Moshe Gafne compared the amendment to the generation of the Mabul, the destruction of the family unit. He questions why no one is concerned with the affront to women, whose bodies would be exploited in this situation.
The weekly BaSheva spoke with Rabbi Menachem Bornstein, who heads the Puah Institute. He said the amendment is contrary to halacha, adding “If we determine Jewishness by the egg, the child will be a non-Jew and we are not permitted to introduce sperm from a Jewish male. They will also compel these people to undergo giyur. If we go by the pregnancy, then the fetus will be a safek mamzer. We are going to make these children miserable simply to satisfy the homosexuals. Where is the Council for Child Welfare I wonder?”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
Way to go RABBI Dov Lipman! Is that what they taught you in Ner Yisroel? Rav Yaakov Weinberg ZT”L taught you this in his Shiur? Nu, lets hear, how do you spin this one?
While I am certainly against this, I don’t get how it had worse halachic implications than the existing sturdiest law that is only for married couples. Why does the old law not affect mamzerus but the new one does?
WHERES MR “RABBI” LIPMAN IN ALL THIS!?!?
Is this not enough of a “red line” (as he put it) to leave Yesh Atid and vote against it???
The problem is that after a massive campaign of lies regarding the giyur bill, falsely claiming that there were halachic problems, who is going to believe the charedi leaders on this issue. There are HUGE halachic problems with surrogate parenting even for straight religious couples!
Everyone rip their clothes
Is there a Jewish source for putting an image of an apikores upside down?
Just wondering.
I don,t understand why this amendment would be more problematic as far as yichus goes than the original law. In any case, Rabbi Bornstein is wrong concerning mamzerus via the introduction of male sperm without intercourse. R,Moshe Feinstein zz,l paskened decades ago that any artificial insemination does not bring any pessul to the child. Concerning a female egg implantation, I assume the same would apply. Basically, we always go according to the birthmother,regardless of the origination of the egg
#7
Go back to square one :
Are you troubled by worse immorality?
Does anything bestir your ilk at all?
To “about time”: whether it is immoral for a non-traditional couple to adopt a child is not the question here. I was responding to the statements by Rabbi Bornstein and MK Chetboun who are obviously wrong.