Adoption law, dilemmas, attitudes and barriers to adoption among infertility patients in Israel

Introduction: Israel Adoption Law requires absolute confidentiality. This type of adoption is basically prohibited by Islamic laws and thus creates a conflict between the State’s Law and the Qur’an’s directives. Objective: (1) to study the attitudes and barriers with respect to adoption among Jewish and Muslim couples undergoing fertility treatments. (2) To describe adoption rates of children in Israel’s sectors. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in fertility clinics among 204 Muslims and Jews treated for infertility. The participants were asked about their attitudes & knowledge concerning adoption. Additionally, national adoption rates, by sector, were retrieved from the Ministry of Welfare. Results: Adoption rates among Jews were higher than among Muslims’. A prolonged period of fertility treatment was more common among Muslims than among Jews. A quarter of the Muslim couples pointed at the conflict between Quran Law and State law as a potential specific barrier. Conclusions: It is important to deepen the understanding of the barriers against adoption among Muslims who failed fertility treatments, as well as to examine whether the change in State Law will encourage adoption of children among Muslims in Israel.