Israeli surrogacy law in practice

This article examines surrogacy arrangements in Israel. The Law of Surrogacy was legislated in March 1996. Surrogacy agreements are strictly limited by the criteria set forth in the law. An authorizations committee was set up by the Ministry of Health to examine each application for approval of a surrogacy agreement. Prior to filing the request, the intended parents must find an appropriate surrogate mother. Psychological evaluation of the parties is imperative in matching the parents with a surrogate mother and both sides undergo these evaluations. The surrogate mother is entitled to psychological counseling throughout the period of her attempts to conceive, the pregnancy, and for a period of 6 months after the birth. Surrogacy is a dynamic and rapidly evolving area, in both law and psychology. The constant advancements in medical technology indicate that future trends--indirectly related to surrogacy--include posthumous reproduction and reproductive cloning. Surrogacy in Israel is restricted to couples with a serious infertility problem.