{
  "id": 31688,
  "title": "A regressive step: Israel's gender segregation law undermines medical education, equality - opinion",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/a-regressive-step-israels-gender-segregation-law-undermines-medical",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-02T06:26:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-904145"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Israel, a recent Knesset law has expanded gender segregation by allowing universities and colleges to offer segregated degree programs, sparking controversy and concern among medical professionals. Five members of Israel's Council for Higher Education resigned in protest, fearing the law could undermine the independence of the council and intensify the exclusion of women at universities. Prior to the law's passage, medical school deans urged lawmakers to reject it, arguing it could jeopardize medical training, international accreditation, and public health.\n\nProf. David Katz, an emeritus professor of immunopathology at University College London and a medical academic in the British Medical Association, expressed distress over the potential disruption caused by gender segregation. He highlighted Israel's strong reputation in medical research and innovation and emphasized the importance of diverse healthcare workers, many of whom are women. Katz worries that the law will exacerbate the shortage of medical educators and mentors, potentially impacting the recognition of Israeli qualifications internationally.\n\nA medical student at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Ella Havin, shared her perspective on the new gender law. She chose to study medicine after serving as a paramedic in the army, finding the field intellectually challenging and fascinating. Currently, roughly 70% of her class are women, but Havin believes that percentage could be even higher at other universities. She questioned whether male and female students would be educated on same-gender models, expressing concern about the law's potential impact on medical education and training.",
  "summary": "Gender segregation has no place in medical training. It risks sidelining women, weakening universities, and damaging the international standing of Israeli medicine.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}