New Delhi22 April 2010
Rachel Adatto, a member of Israel's parliament and the chair of the
Israel-India Parliamentary Friendship League, is pushing for a domestic
legislation banning advertisement agencies from hiring underweight or
'size-zero' models.
The Bill proposes to prohibit agencies from hiring anorexic models or
using digital imaging software such as Photoshop to make the models in
advertising campaigns look thin around the waist. It defines an
underweight model as one whose body mass index (or BMI) is lower than
18.5. BMI is a number calculated from a person's weight and height.
Adatto, who was recently in India to renew contacts with Indian
parliamentarians, says the need for the Bill was felt because
malnourished models inspire young girls to diet so they can look
skinny. The Bill is likely to be put to vote in the forthcoming session
of the Israeli parliament (Knesset).
Israel-India Parliamentary Friendship League, is pushing for a domestic
legislation banning advertisement agencies from hiring underweight or
'size-zero' models.
The Bill proposes to prohibit agencies from hiring anorexic models or
using digital imaging software such as Photoshop to make the models in
advertising campaigns look thin around the waist. It defines an
underweight model as one whose body mass index (or BMI) is lower than
18.5. BMI is a number calculated from a person's weight and height.
Adatto, who was recently in India to renew contacts with Indian
parliamentarians, says the need for the Bill was felt because
malnourished models inspire young girls to diet so they can look
skinny. The Bill is likely to be put to vote in the forthcoming session
of the Israeli parliament (Knesset).
She is a first-time MP who won the 2009 election as a candidate of
Kadima, the main Opposition party. She can be described as a
professional in politics, combining her knowledge in medicine and law
(and a management degree to boot) to make her contributions inside and
outside Parliament.
In an interview to this newspaper in New Delhi, Adatto spoke about her
support for a legislation to ease the restrictions on Israeli women
donating and receiving eggs. Currently, the Israeli law allows only
women undergoing fertility treatment to donate ova, or women who could
benefit medically by having their eggs harvested. The restrictions
forced women seeking egg donations to obtain them abroad. A committee
is now working out the details of the Bill so that it could be voted
upon.
She says the main purpose of her visit to India is to build on the
relations between the two countries and to re-establish connections
with her Indian counterparts. She is also keen to correct any
distortions that might have crept into Indians' perceptions of her
country.
Israel is not all about guns, she cautions.
Kadima, the main Opposition party. She can be described as a
professional in politics, combining her knowledge in medicine and law
(and a management degree to boot) to make her contributions inside and
outside Parliament.
In an interview to this newspaper in New Delhi, Adatto spoke about her
support for a legislation to ease the restrictions on Israeli women
donating and receiving eggs. Currently, the Israeli law allows only
women undergoing fertility treatment to donate ova, or women who could
benefit medically by having their eggs harvested. The restrictions
forced women seeking egg donations to obtain them abroad. A committee
is now working out the details of the Bill so that it could be voted
upon.
She says the main purpose of her visit to India is to build on the
relations between the two countries and to re-establish connections
with her Indian counterparts. She is also keen to correct any
distortions that might have crept into Indians' perceptions of her
country.
Israel is not all about guns, she cautions.
During her stay here, Adatto called on Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar,Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, members of civil
society and young industry representatives.
As a member of the Opposition Kadima party, she naturally does not see
the peace talks with Palestinians in the same way as the government of
Israel led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does, but she is
hopeful that a resolution is achievable.
"The Palestinian issue will be resolved but it will take time," she
says, hinting that the far-right-wing government headed by Netanyahu
may be a part of the problem. However, she attributes the delay in the
West Asia peace process to Iran, which she describes as a "hidden
partner" in the "background", trying to scuttle any moves by
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
"The main problem is Iran ... not only to Israel but to India and the
rest of the world," she asserts, adding that Iran is the source of
evil, standing as it does behind groups such as Hizbollah and Hamas.
She goes on to observe that Israel is acutely aware of the dangers
posed by loose nukes falling into the hands of terrorist groups such as
the Al-Qaeda, Hamas or Hizbollah.
Adatto is also the chair of the Israel-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship
League. Prior to her India visit, she travelled to Kathmandu where she
called on the Nepalese leaders. Her visit to the Himalayan republic
coincided with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
relations between Nepal and Israel.
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