Court Recognizes Biological Motherhood Of Lesbian Couple

[Meshakhad]

http://www.lifesite.net/news/israeli-court-recognizes-biological-motherhood-of-two-lesbians-for-one-chil

March 13, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An Israeli court has ruled that two lesbians who created a child through in-vitro fertilization are both biological mothers of the child, according to reports in the Israeli media.

The couple, which is not named, reportedly conceived the child in-vitro with the egg of one partner and the sperm of a male donor in 2006. The embryo was then implanted in the womb of the other lesbian partner.

When Israel’s Interior Ministry decided that the birth mother was the only mother, and that the other partner would have to adopt to obtain parental rights, the couple sued, claiming sex discrimination on the grounds that a man who contributed his sperm would likely win in a similar paternity suit, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Well, this is progress.

[Smurfette Principle]

Am I a horrible person for wondering, "What will the crazy Christian fundamentalists who think Jews and Israel are awesome say?"

[Meshakhad]

Am I a horrible person for wondering, "What will the crazy Christian fundamentalists who think Jews and Israel are awesome say?"

No, you are not.

[N. De Plume]

Am I a horrible person for wondering, "What will the crazy Christian fundamentalists who think Jews and Israel are awesome say?"

No, you are not.

Definitely not. Those same fundies have way to much pull, and that kind of shit could have some real consequences. It is a good thing to wonder about that.

[kefkaownsall]

Essentially the fundies dont care about Israel as long as it keeps expanding

[Osama bin Bambi]

Essentially the fundies dont care about Israel as long as it keeps expanding

Christian fundies are counting on Israel to be an ally against other Middle Eastern nations.

[kefkaownsall]

Essentially the fundies dont care about Israel as long as it keeps expanding

Christian fundies are counting on Israel to be an ally against other Middle Eastern nations.

Depends on the fundie
dominionist fundies need Israel to expand and  be purged of palestinians to bring forth the rapture. 

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

Am I a horrible person for wondering, "What will the crazy Christian fundamentalists who think Jews and Israel are awesome say?"

Did a quick scan of RR hoping that they'd have a thread on it, but couldn't find anything.

[Meshakhad]

Israel is actually pretty far ahead of the US on gay rights. Gays have been serving openly in the IDF for nearly 20 years. They are legally protected from discrimination, and Tel Aviv is a very gay-friendly city (Jerusalem, not so much). There have been two gay MKs, both from Meretz (a small, left-wing party).

Same-sex marriage, however, is more complicated. The problem is that secular marriage does not exist in Israel - all marriages must be approved by the appropriate religious leadership. Gays, therefore, find themselves in the same boat as Reform Jews who do not wish an Orthodox ceremony or interfaith couples. Fortunately, the same workaround for these groups works for gays: get married in another country. Israel DOES recognize marriages performed abroad, including same-sex marriages.

[MadCatTLX]

Israel is actually pretty far ahead of the US on gay rights. Gays have been serving openly in the IDF for nearly 20 years. They are legally protected from discrimination, and Tel Aviv is a very gay-friendly city (Jerusalem, not so much). There have been two gay MKs, both from Meretz (a small, left-wing party).

Same-sex marriage, however, is more complicated. The problem is that secular marriage does not exist in Israel - all marriages must be approved by the appropriate religious leadership. Gays, therefore, find themselves in the same boat as Reform Jews who do not wish an Orthodox ceremony or interfaith couples. Fortunately, the same workaround for these groups works for gays: get married in another country. Israel DOES recognize marriages performed abroad, including same-sex marriages.

So they don't have any alternative that gives the same benefits of marriage, just under a different name?

[Meshakhad]

Not to my knowledge. However, it's not as simple a matter of them banning same-sex marriage - after all, all a gay couple has to do is hold the ceremony in another country, and they're set. Legalizing gay marriage would require either the religious authorities to permit it (not a chance) or an overhaul of marriage law in Israel (more likely).

[The Right Honourable Mlle Antéchrist]

Israel is actually pretty far ahead of the US on gay rights. Gays have been serving openly in the IDF for nearly 20 years. They are legally protected from discrimination, and Tel Aviv is a very gay-friendly city (Jerusalem, not so much). There have been two gay MKs, both from Meretz (a small, left-wing party).

Same-sex marriage, however, is more complicated. The problem is that secular marriage does not exist in Israel - all marriages must be approved by the appropriate religious leadership. Gays, therefore, find themselves in the same boat as Reform Jews who do not wish an Orthodox ceremony or interfaith couples. Fortunately, the same workaround for these groups works for gays: get married in another country. Israel DOES recognize marriages performed abroad, including same-sex marriages.

Israel seems to be a bit of an odd duck when it comes to progressive versus conservative values. They're fairly progression in some regards, such as allowing women to serve on the front lines (although that might be a natural extension of the way it handles its military), gay rights being relatively advanced compared with quite a few nations, particularly in the middle east, and so on, yet they're also incredibly conservative in other aspects. The dynamic within the country is quite fascinating, from a sociological perspective.