Gay and lesbian
couples in Israel will be allowed the same adoption
rights as heterosexual couples, the Israeli government
announced Tuesday.
Prior to Atty.
Gen. Menachem Mazuz's announcement on Sunday, the
government had not allowed gays to adopt children through
the Welfare and Social Services Ministry’s
Child Welfare Service. For gay families, the child
must have been one of the partners' biological offspring in
order for his or her partner to adopt that child.
“I welcome
the decision,” Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said in
a press release. “There is no reason same-sex
couples who meet the criteria for adoption should not
be able to join the process of adoption and of
parenthood. We must adapt to the spirit of the times and the
changes that are afoot.”
Mazuz emphasized
that he was addressing only the legal constraints of the
law. Prospective same-sex couples' requests to adopt would
be handled on a case-by-case basis, just as
heterosexual couples' are.
Herzog first
brought up the possibility of legalized adoption by gay and
lesbian couples when he announced his decision to review the
increased number of applications by same-sex couples
seeking to adopt. (The Advocate)