Coalition said drafting new bill to allow same-sex couples to adopt
Legislation reportedly set to be finalized by July, but is expected to meet opposition from religious parties
Michael Bachner is a news editor at The Times of Israel
A new bill being promoted by the coalition proposes allowing same-sex couples to adopt children in Israel, Hadashot TV news reported Wednesday, after an outcry last year when the Welfare Ministry announced — and then reversed — its opposition to the idea.
Hadashot TV reported that a draft has been completed for the bill, which is expected to be approved by Welfare Minister Haim Katz and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. The bill removes the current requirement for adopting parents to be a man and a woman.
The bill is expected to be finalized in July and will only be advanced in the next Knesset sitting, the report said. The coalition makeup makes it difficult to pass laws advancing LGBT rights. Religious parties, who traditionally oppose such legislation, hold significant power within the coalition.
Earlier Wednesday Knesset lawmakers just barely pushed through an initial approval of a bill opposed by the coalition prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Thirty-seven MKs supported the motion, with 36 voting against.
The draft bill on adoption reportedly stipulates that adopting parents should be more than 25 years of age and less than 56, and must be without a criminal record or addiction problems.
Biological parents putting their kids up for adoption will, for the first time, be allowed to state their preference for the demographic sector to which the adopting parents belong, according to the report. That preference will not be binding and will be subject to consideration by professional teams.
The Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry last year announced its opposition to same-sex couples adopting children in Israel because it would place an “additional burden” on the child.
But following a storm of protest, with thousands of Israelis taking to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest what they said was a discriminatory policy, the ministry reversed the decision less than a month later and said it was the role of the Knesset to make a final determination on the issue through legislation.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
