First same-sex couple surrogacy underway in Israel
Surrogate pregnancies were first made available to LGBT couples on January 11
In July, a same-sex couple in Israel announced, in tandem with the Health Ministry, that a surrogate is carrying their baby, a first in the Jewish state.
Surrogate pregnancies were first made available to same-sex couples on January 11, where previously, only heterosexual couples or single female residents were allowed surrogacy.
While legal, the process is not yet streamlined and is full of hurdles for same-sex couples. In addition, Israel is also facing a shortage of surrogates in the face of the increase in demand.
"We had to be on a waiting list," Itzik Razimor Apter, soon to be a father through surrogacy, told i24NEWS. "Because now there are many, many people who are trying to do the surrogacy process."
Despite the fact that it's now legal in Israel, Apter and his partner have chosen to have their surrogate child in another country.
"We want to do it now, we don't want to wait two or three years. It's also (due to) the price. It's still very expensive to do it in Israel."
Apter explained that in Israel, having a child through surrogacy can cost upwards of $87,700. However, in the United States, it can be just as - if not more - expensive.
"It's a long process; it can take a year and a half to three years or sometimes more than that," Ronny Dgani, founder of Expecting.ai, explained to i24NEWS.
Expecting.ai helps match potential parents with surrogates, egg donors or clinics.
"It's super expensive," Dgani explained.