Israel must recognise same-sex adoptive couples

By Tony Grew • December 10, 2007 - 11:45

The Ministry has challenged the order and numerous same-sex couples have been left without any legal relation to their partners' children.

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The Interior Ministry of Israel was ordered by the country's Supreme Court yesterday to register overseas adoptions by same-sex parents.

An American-Israeli lesbian couple who weren't registered as dual mothers of their son despite a Court's ruling took their case to the Supreme Court.

Nicole and Ruti Berner Kadish's case was heard before a panel of nine High Court judges.

The judiciary ordered the Interior Ministry to continue executing a 2000 ruling, which had endorsed the registration of the couple as dual mothers of their child Matan, Ruti's biological son, adopted by Nicole under California law.

Following the 2000 ruling, the Interior Ministry submitted a petition claiming that clerks could not be forced to register an adoption in contrast with Israeli values and norms, but the Court dismissed the request, allowing Nicole to adopt Matan.

But since then the Ministry has challenged the order and numerous same-sex couples have been left without any legal relation to their partners' children.

"The court is being asked to censure the state, which is doing all it can to obstruct gays and lesbians from establishing a family," Mike Hamel of the Israeli Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association told haaretz.com

Nicole and Ruti have had two more children who haven't been registered as children of both women.

Religious groups were unhappy about the ruling.

"There is no choice but to propose a legislation amendment that will clearly determine that a family is built by a man and a woman," said National Religious Party chairman, MK Zevulun Orlev, according to Ynet News.

"The court's ruling goes against the Jewish faith and undermines the foundation of the State of Israel as a Jewish nation."

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