Surrogate Babies of Israeli Gay Couples Stranded in Thailand

Gay Israeli couples and their supporters are protesting Israeli Government’s surrogate policy this week, reports the Gay Star News. The Israeli government is not allowing children born to Thai surrogate mothers in Thailand, to obtain the gay couples’ children Israeli citizenship.  As a result the Thai born children are stranded in Thailand until the situation is resolved.

Israeli law requires children born in another to country to pass a paternity test to determine the paternity of the biological father before Israeli citizenship can be granted.

According to Thailand family lawyer, Jiraporn Thonpong, surrogacy laws in Thailand remain an extremely grey area. She explains, “The legal issues and solutions to any surrogacy need to be considered on an individual basis’. She continues, “Thailand currently has no laws or published case decisions directly relating to the practice of surrogacy”.

All the babies born to Thai women are automatically Thai citizens and regarded as so by  the Israeli government. In total approximately 65 babies, some newborns and some who have not yet been born are now stranded in Thailand until the issue can be resolved.

Read the full story here.