CHEN - patient fertility association

“CHEN” - patient fertility association AFRICAN INFERTILITY ALLIANCE-AIA

Fertility in Israel Nobody’s Child, Everybody’s Children May 2007

V ardit Ravitsky, PhD Center for Bioethics University of Pennsylvania FERTILITY IN ISRAEL OFRA BALABAN, CHAIR, CHEN association M.A. – Public Policy, Tel-Aviv University. עמותת חן לפריון וחיים ויתקין 13, חולון טל “CHEN” - patient fertility association 13 Vitkin St. Holon ISRAEL Tel: Vitkin Holon 58510, ISRAEL Tel ,

In any country when the doctor may say to a couple after some tests “go home and if you will not conceive return in one year”. The American couple will obey, the Canadian couple will obey, but the Israeli couple will seek for another doctor immediately. They want to conceive now.

10% of the couples in Israel have fertility problems. About 10% of them are doing IVF cycles – about 15,000 couples per year, Approx. 20,000 cycles annually. These numbers are huge in comparison to a total population of 7,000,000 citizens. In Israel there are 27 IVF clinics. 3 of them are private and all the rest are public clinics.

The reasons for this flourish of fertility activity are numerous: Sociological, Mental and Cultural; Religious and Personal.

Since 1987 a law was passed in the state of Israel, declaring that the state will cover the costs of treatments until 2 children are born. This attitude can be explained by the demographic situation, i.e. “we need more Jews in the Jewish state”.

Cultural reasons: Since 1987 the state of Israel covers, by law, the costs of treatments until 2 children are born. This attitude can be explained by the demographic situation, i.e. “we need more Jews in the Jewish state”. Even the language symbolizes this attitude: In English – CHILDREN’s FREE In Hebrew – the translation is: “have darkness in their life” – “lack of children”, so even the Hebrew language evolves around the importance of fertility.

Religion: Reproduction is the first commandment in the bible. Religious Jews take it very seriously and do their best to have as many children as they can. So pressure was put on the government too to pass the law. Up to this day, we have the support of the religious parties in all our activities in the Knesset. On the other hand we face some problems with sperm donations. Religious men will never agree to donate sperm or to use a sperm from a donor. If there is no sperm at all they will adopt a child. Egg donation is allowed.

Personal reasons: Most Israeli couples are confronted with society’s expectation to prioritize birth giving on top of everything else; even career and settling down. This factor, many times, may lead to deep frustration. All the above mentioned factors combine to create the environment that leads Israel to be the “state of fertility treatments”.

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