Night of many protests: People march against government ‘nation state’ bill. Photo: YouTube video
Thousands took to the streets of Tel Aviv in Israel on Saturday in protest over the government’s surrogacy bill amendments.
A revised bill last week extended surrogacy rights to single women but failed to include LGBTI couples.
The protests came in a night of multiple demonstrations in the Israeli city. Thousands also marched against a ‘nation state’ bill to legalize segregation of Jews and Arabs in the state.
Israel’s Knesset: Set to vote on surrogacy bill and nation state bill on Monday.
The amended bill is expected to pass into law in its final readings at the Knesset on Monday. Only heterosexual couples are currently allowed access to surrogacy in Israel.
Chen Arieli, who is the chairman of Israel’s LGBTQ Association gave a speech at the demonstration, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Chen Arieli: Paid trubute to Gaza border neighbours during protest. Photo: Awiderbridge.org
‘According to the prime minister’s fluent English we are in an LGBTQ paradise,’ she said. ‘But in reality our lives do not allow us to marry; we are not allowed to have children, and if we have already succeeded, we are overwhelmed by unnecessary difficulties.
‘There is a limit to how much ‘no’ we can hear and we will not remain silent until the discrimination ends,’ she added.
The paper also reported that Oded Fried, the LGBTQ community’s representative in the Knesset, warned fellow politicians against voting the bill through on Monday.
Politicians warned not to pass bill
‘If there was a law that states that only women born in Israel can be mothers or a law that couples of settlers are forbidden to establish a family, no one would remain silent and hide behind excuses like coalition discipline’, he said.
‘Whoever votes in favor of the surrogacy law this week – this is a vote against us. And we will not sit quietly while legislators make laws against us and trample on our basic rights.’
As reported by Gay Star News earlier this week, the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee also raised the number of children per family from two to five. It also raised the age limit of surrogate mothers from 38 to 39 years old.
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