65 surrogate babies of Israeli gay couples stranded in Thailand
65 surrogate babies of Israeli gay couples stranded in Thailand
65 surrogate children of Israeli gay couples are stuck in Thailand while the Government of Israel refuses to grant them Israeli citizenship
20 JANUARY 2014 | BY ANDREW POTTS
One of the affected couples with their baby
Photo by Facebook
Supporters of the gay parents of 65 surrogate babies who have been born or are due to be born to Thai surrogate mothers have launch a week of protest actions this week to protest the Israeli Government’s refusal to grant the children Israeli citizenship.
Thai law grants children born to Thai women automatic Thai citizenship. However in order for the babies to leave Thailand they must be made Israeli citizens and Israeli law requires a paternity test before that can occur.
Thailand currently has no law regulating surrogacy but began developing a policy on surrogacy by foreigners in December, prompting the Israeli Government to issue a travel warning over the issue that same month that stated children born to Thai surrogates would be regarded as Thai nationals.
‘According to Thai law, the babies are Thai citizens,’ a statement by Israel’s Foreign Ministry given to Channel 2 reads.
‘The position of the authorities in Thailand, which was given to Israel in an official notice, is that mothers in Thailand who give birth to babies have full parental rights over those children, including custody.’
However Meretz party Member of the Knessit Nitzan Horowitz told the Times of Israel that there is no reason for the babies to be denied entry into Israel when ‘citizens from many other countries complete the processes of surrogacy in Thailand without any problem.’
It is believed that around 20 of the babies have already been born while another 40 or so are still yet to be born.
The couples’ supporters in Israel plan to protest outside the home of Israeli Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar this week, culminating with a large rally on Thursday in the hope of convincing him to grant the babies citizenship.
A Facebook page run by the couples’ supporters, ‘Help Us Bring the Babies Home,' has collected over 16,000 supporters in just one week.
Same-sex couples may not access surrogacy in Israel prompting many to do so abroad.