Fertility Tourism: Why More Israelis Are Traveling Abroad to Become Parents
At Ben Gurion Airport, you can see it almost every week: a couple, or a single parent, arriving off a long flight with a baby a few weeks old and a thick folder of documents. They were not on vacation. They traveled abroad to become parents, and now they are coming home. Fertility medical tourism is a phenomenon that has quietly grown over the past decade, and Tel Aviv, with its young, proud and diverse population, is one of its hubs in Israel. In almost every building there is someone who knows someone who has done it, and on social media there are whole groups of parents sharing experience, tips and warnings.
Why people travel
The reasons vary from person to person, but they repeat themselves. Some travel because of supply: egg donation in Israel is limited, and there are few surrogates in the country. Some travel because of eligibility: Israeli law does not cover everyone equally, and single people and male couples often find that the path abroad is clearer. And some travel because of time. A year-long wait at home is sometimes the difference between a pregnancy and giving up. Medical tourism in general is a global phenomenon with a long history, and anyone curious can read about medical tourism and learn how it developed from inexpensive dental work into an entire field of fertility medicine.
Where people travel to
The map has changed significantly in recent years. The United States remains the most expensive and most regulated destination, with costs that can reach a million shekels. Countries in Europe and Asia have opened and closed in line with changing legislation. In recent years, countries relatively close to Israel have stood out, such as Georgia, where the process is regulated by law, available to heterosexual couples including common-law partners, and significantly cheaper than the American alternative. Anyone considering that direction can read about the process in Georgia and understand what it involves, from the first meeting to returning home with the baby.
What's worth checking beforehand
Medical tourism is not an ordinary trip, and anyone setting out should ask a few questions. Is the procedure legal in the destination country, and not just "accepted"? Who is registered on the birth certificate, and how is the child's status in Israel arranged? What happens if local law changes partway through the process, something that has happened in more than one country? And who accompanies you there, when you are far from home, do not speak the language and are dealing with a foreign medical system? Professional guidance from Israel, one that also knows the Israeli side of the bureaucracy, often saves months of delays.
Life afterward
Those who return from this journey describe two things: enormous relief, and bureaucracy that is only beginning. Recognition of parenthood, citizenship for the child, registration with the Ministry of Interior, sometimes a DNA test. It takes time, and it is exhausting, especially with a new baby at home and no sleep. But most parents say the same thing: they would do it again. Tel Aviv is full of children born thousands of kilometers away, growing up in it as if that were the most natural thing in the world. And it probably is.
