Supreme Court Gives Israel Two Months To Rethink Gay Adoption Policy

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By JTA July 18, 2017

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Supreme Court has given the government two months to reconsider its opposition to allowing same-sex couples to adopt in the country.

The decision Tuesday comes a day after the state told the court Monday that the government remains opposed to allowing same-sex couples to adopt, claiming that their decision “takes into account the reality of Israeli society and the difficulty it may entail with regard to the child being adopted.”

Welfare and Social Affairs Minister Haim Katz asked the court Tuesday for an extension to re-examine the issue, saying he wanted to seek more professional opinions.

Amir Ohana, the first openly gay Likud lawmaker and a gay rights activist, said Tuesday that he would not vote with the government coalition until the recommendation opposed to same-sex couples adopting is changed.

Same-sex couples can be approved for adoption, but they can only adopt children for whom a heterosexual couple cannot be found. Consequently, same-sex couples are generally offered special needs or at-risk children, or older children who cannot be placed. Many same-sex couples adopt babies from other countries.

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