Offbeat Israel: She ‘Stole’ What?
In the most remarkable of court cases, an Israeli man yesterday claimed he has been a victim of “sperm theft.” The woman who “stole” his sperm and became pregnant as a result should be forced to have an abortion, he demanded.
The 21-year-old man who brought the case claimed that the 26-year-old woman carrying his baby seduced him when he was drunk, and claimed she was using birth control. He said that given these circumstances, sperm was “stolen” from him and that she should not be allowed to continue her pregnancy. He claimed that fathering a child would harm his chances of marrying in the future and harm him emotionally and financially.
The woman responded that he was aware of his actions and denied he was under the impression she was on birth control.
The judge in the Haifa family court rejected the man’s claims, saying that he had no right to make decisions regarding the defendant’s body, and that the woman’s right to continue her pregnancy is protected by law. However, he did say that the claim of “sperm theft” could be suitable for a hearing in the civil court, making it conceivable that he could bring a case demanding compensation or dispensation from giving any financial support to the child.
Israel has been gripped today by a harrowing story of a one-year-old girl who was left alone yesterday for three hours in a hot car.
The girl, from the southern town of Kiryat Gat, was supposed to be dropped by her father at day-care. But he forgot, went to work, parked and left the car with her inside.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.