Overview
Married couples, cohabitants and single women are permitted treatment. Currently infertile women over age 45 will not be able to undergo treatment with their own eggs. Sex selection is permissible in principle only for medical purposes, but in some very exceptional circumstances sex selection may be approved for social reasons or “family balancing.”
Egg/Sperm Donation
Donor eggs may be used for in vitro fertilization only if they have been donated by an infertile woman who has had more eggs removed from her ovaries than she needs for her own IVF treatment. Women over age 51 won’t be given donated eggs. More than 2000 Israeli women are waiting for an egg donation, while only about 100 ova are donated in an average month, Anonymous sperm donations only. Embryo donation not permitted.
Surrogacy
A surrogate must be an unmarried woman (unless a special committee approves a married surrogate “in special cases”), an Israeli resident and be the mother of at least one child of her own and she must be the same religion as the genetic mother. Sisters, mothers or blood relatives are prohibited from carrying children for one another. Surrogate fees have not been set by law; however, $25,000, to cover health insurance, legal fees and “loss of time and suffering,” has been deemed acceptable. The Intended Father must supply the sperm, but the egg can come from either the Intended Mother or an egg donor who is not the surrogate. The surrogate may change her mind and ask to keep the baby but only with a court’s approval. If unmarried she can decide to abort the fetus. A committee must approve the surrogacy contract.
