The coalition on Wednesday defeated the Equality in Adoption bill submitted by MK Yorai Lahav Hertzanu (Yesh Atid), who was last seen jumping over a table to charge Constitution Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman. The bill permits adoptions by LGBTQ couples and individuals.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud) supported the motion, which was defeated by a majority of 54 to 37.
Ohana, who has two children with his male spouse from a surrogate mother, declared after being elected Speaker regarding the relationship between the LGBTQ community and the new coalition: “This Knesset, headed by this speaker, will not harm them or any child or family. Period.”
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said following Ohana’s appointment: “Every person is created in the image of God. This is the principle that was introduced by our nation to humanity thousands of years ago, and it is the principle that guides us today as well.”
Well, Jewish tradition indeed honors every man and woman because they were created in the image of God (which is why, for instance, we’re not allowed to keep a condemned person hanging from the gallows and must remove their body immediately); but when two images of God are transgressing together in an illicit manner, the principle our nation introduced to humanity is that they should be executed (following a complicated court procedure deliberated in tractate Sanhedrin).
Currently, the law in Israel specifies that only a couple comprised of one man and one woman are eligible to adopt.
