Israelis love pregnant women. Its seems that moms-to-be are everywhere — not to mention scores of “helpful” people who want to offer their advice about nausea, diet, where to give birth, and so on — and Israelis are generous when it comes to giving seats to pregnant women on public transportation.
Israeli women can recuperate from childbirth in one of four upscale “baby hotels,” and all new mamas enjoy three months of government-mandated maternity leave.
And now, being an expectant mother in Israel just got a little bit better: Pregnant women will no longer have to wait in lines, according to a new Israeli law.
The law was introduced to the Knesset by Arab Joint List party lawmaker Yousef Jabareen, who said he was inspired to propose it after a trip abroad with his pregnant wife — and they were told that they didn’t need to stand in long lines. “When we came back to Israel we noticed the differences,” Jabareen said during the discussion of the bill, according to the Jerusalem Post. “It is time to give pregnant women the respect they deserve.”
“Pregnant women are sometimes forced to wait for a long time in long and exhausting lines at supermarkets, shops, pharmacies, the post office and other places which provide public service,” the introduction to the legislation stated. “In order to give pregnant women the respect they deserve and to make life easier for them, it is proposed to amend the Women’s Equal Rights Act, and to determine that in a situation in which a pregnant woman will ask, which will be granted the right to receive public service without waiting in line.”
The law passed late on Monday night as the Israeli Knesset rushes to push through dozens of bills before the end of the summer session on Sunday. It passed unanimously with 48 votes. (Yes, there are 120 members of Knesset — some of them must have been grabbing a nap.)
We’ll bet there are plenty of pregnant women in Israel ready to test this new law. But be warned: The law also states that service providers can ask women to produce medical proof of their pregnancies. To that, we say: At their own risk!
