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Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog. (Tomer Appelbaum) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 10:27 16/12/2007 Welfare Min. launches policy to allow single-sex couples to adopt By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Single-Sex Couples  Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog is launching policy that would allow single-sex families to adopt children in Israel who bear no biological connection to them. This would constitute a breakthrough for gay and lesbian couples wishing to adopt. Until now, legal precedents have only enabled single-sex couples to do so when one member has requested to adopt the biological offspring of their partner, and through ordering the state to recognize adoptions that took place abroad. Following discussions held at the Welfare Ministry on the legal aspects of the issue, the ministry's Attorney General, Batia Artman, prepared a legal opinion on the matter, as did the Justice Ministry, both of which were submitted to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz for ruling. Advertisement Herzog told Haaretz that the state must enable "single-sex couples who fully meet the criteria of parents to join the queue for adoption. A modern world-view in which there are diverse legal structures, teaches that the state also has to adapt itself to these eventualities, and in a modern state there is no choice but to recognize this and examine whether these parents are able to raise children with love and affection, according to the accepted standard. This is the instruction I passed onto the professional bodies, and I hope that the attorney general will support me." There have been four requests in recent months by single-sex families to join the adoption service's waiting list for a child, and thus have the state enable them to adopt. While the Justice Ministry does not see its work in finding a general arrangement in principle for the issue, but rather in settling the specific requests of the couples, Herzog plans on viewing these cases as precedents which will determine the adoption service's procedures in relation to future requests by gay and lesbian couples. According to sources in the Welfare Ministry, Herzog wishes to exploit the momentum created by earlier High Court decisions in order to advance the treatment of single-sex couples and make their status equal to that of heterosexual ones. This is despite the fact that the ministry has for years related only to heterosexual couples as 'normative' ones. The High Court created a key legal precedent following Nicole and Ruthie Brenner-Kadish's formalization of their adoption in California in 2000. After their subsequent petition to the court, where they asked it to instruct the state for recognition of the adoption, a three-justice panel sided with the couple, and ordered the Population Registry to list both of them as the child's mothers. An Interior Ministry official refused, however, saying that "biologically speaking the existence of two parents of the same gender is impossible." The court also recognized a similar adoption by a lesbian couple in a 2005 ruling. Related articles: Religious party leader: Same-sex families undermine Judaism In precedent-setting ruling court says state must recognize gay marriage Bookmark to del.icio.us Peres apology The President apologized to Kafr Qasem villages for the massacre of 1956. Gaza: The Sequel 'There is no other option' but another round of war. But will it be any different this time?   1.   homo rights to adopt 11:30  |  maayan 16/12/07   2.   re: #1 11:49  |  JB 16/12/07   3.   Welfare Min. launches policy to allow single-sex couples to adopt 15:13  |  Alon -Chiloni 16/12/07   4.   my maths say... 15:19  |  ROB OF MELBOURNE AUS 16/12/07   5.   One mother is more than enough...! 18:23  |  Naomi 16/12/07   6.   All you naysayers 21:45  |  Global Citizen 16/12/07   7.   Same Sex Marriage is a Sham - Adoption, maybe. 21:58  |  MIKE 16/12/07   8.   the correct thing to do 22:37  |  alan 16/12/07   9.   A Child has a right to both mother and a father! 02:02  |  Alicia 17/12/07   10.   Good: single-sex couples to adopt. 02:21  |  Hal 17/12/07   11.   Not fair to the infertile 08:18  |  Ora 17/12/07   12.   No. 11 09:44  |  Michael 17/12/07   13.   Ora 10:25  |  Daniel 17/12/07   14.   # 9 i dont think my daughter would agree 11:29  |  SJ 17/12/07   15.   # 14 SJ: good luck, hope all will be like you 13:37  |  Alicia 17/12/07   16.   Self righteous bigots 14:07  |  Petra 17/12/07   17.   # 1 Study the adoption process then get answers. 14:22  |  Petra 17/12/07   18.   SJ # 14 BLESS YOU! 14:27  |  Petra 17/12/07   19.   # 9 Alicia 14:38  |  Petra 17/12/07   20.   #19 Petra: you are blood-relatives! 16:54  |  Alicia 17/12/07   21.   #19 Petra; you know the best! 17:14  |  Alicia 17/12/07   22.   # 21 Alicia No, don`t go to hell, I wish you HAD 17:31  |  Petra 17/12/07   23.   maayan-role models 17:40  |  Mark T 17/12/07   24.   #1 Maayan 17:40  |  Petra 17/12/07   25.   Naomi-2 mothers 17:42  |  Mark T 17/12/07   26.   Global- 6 17:43  |  Mark T 17/12/07   27.   Mike-marrage 17:47  |  Mark T 17/12/07   28.   Alicia-- mother AND father 17:51  |  Mark T 17/12/07   29.   #22 Thank you Petra 17:51  |  Alicia 17/12/07   30.   Ora--adoption 17:55  |  Mark T 17/12/07   31.   SJ 17:57  |  Mark T 17/12/07   32.   Petra 16 17:58  |  Mark T 17/12/07   33.   Alicia 21 18:04  |  Mark T 17/12/07   34.   #28 Mark T on single-parenting 18:30  |  Alicia 17/12/07   35.   #33 Yes Mark: every month for the next 10 years! 18:36  |  Alicia 17/12/07   36.   It is either Biological or Learned 21:09  |  Efox 17/12/07   37.   crazy 21:14  |  a progressive 17/12/07   38.   re: Petra 21:16  |  Efox 17/12/07   39.   re: SJ 21:18  |  Efox 17/12/07   40.   Alicia-34 21:34  |  Mark T 17/12/07   41.   Mart T - #27 22:27  |  MIKE 17/12/07   42.   # 39 Mark T 22:39  |  Alicia 17/12/07   43.   Progressive 22:45  |  Mark T 17/12/07   44.   efox-balogna 23:07  |  Mark T 17/12/07   45.   Adoption By Gays 00:51  |  MIKE 18/12/07   46.   and then they call Israel an "Apartheid state" 01:56  |  Jake 18/12/07   47.   re: Mark T 23:30  |  Efox 21/12/07   48.   re: Jake 23:53  |  Efox 21/12/07

Today Online Two IDF troops lightly wounded; Israel sets terms for truce Responses: 209 Peres apologizes for Kafr Qasem massacre of 1956 Responses: 84 Attempt to exchange messages between Israel and Syria fails Responses: 38 U.S. envoy: Peace education is the only way to end this conflict Responses: 68 Ramon: 70 MKs support settler compensation plan Responses: 82 Rosner's Domain Riedel: "Israel will attack Iran" (WTR) Hijacked by the demanding, spoiled Bar Mitzvah families Romney to Evangelicals, like Messianic Jews to Jews (WTR) Rosner's Guest: deNazify the Palestinian culture More Headlines 00:10 Rice: U.S. open to Iran, Syria talks if they change policy 00:14 Two IDF troops lightly hurt as Israel mulls truce offer 18:27 President Peres apologizes for Kafr Qasem massacre of 1956 01:18 Report: Sacha Baron Cohen to retire alter egos Borat and Ali G 01:02 Historic New York City matzo factory on sale for $25 million 17:35 A changing Reform movement attempts to resurrect Shabbat 12:52 Ramon: 70 MKs support paying settlers to evacuate voluntarily 21:29 Top Hezbollah official blasts Bush, says Lebanon rejects his tutelage 16:19 Rice welcomes Israeli decision to nix building plan in East J'lem 07:16 Attempt to exchange messages between Israel and Syria fails Previous Editions Select Day 21 dec 20 dec 19 dec 18 dec 17 dec 16 dec 14 dec 13 dec 12 dec 11 dec 10 dec 09 dec

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