Russia, Surrogacy, Uncategorized

Eight arrested in Russia’s first surrogacy probe

Source Malay Mail

Russia is one of the few countries in the world where commercial surrogacy is legal. — Reuters pic

MOSCOW, Aug 3 — Eight Russians have been arrested and charged with human trafficking in the country’s first surrogacy probe, and a court today was to consider extending the arrests.

Surrogacy is legal in Russia and has been a lucrative business for many years.

However, a criminal probe was made possible due to “ambiguities” in legislation, defence lawyer Igor Trunov told AFP, adding it was the first such case in Russia’s history.

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Uncategorized

Babies, Bodies and Borders: The Risks and Rise of Surrogacy

Source JDSupra

Babies, Bodies and Borders: The Risks and Rise of Surrogacy

Despite its challenges, surrogacy is becoming a readily available form of family formation for many who have endured considerable heartache and difficulty in conceiving naturally. Surrogacy has an important role to play within our modern society particularly bearing in mind the overwhelming tide-change in social attitudes, the importance of assisted reproduction, such as IVF, and the introduction of same sex marriage which was legalised back in 2014.

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Germany, Surrogacy, Uncategorized

Push in Germany for legalisation of surrogacy

Source BioEdge

A German politician is pushing for a thorough-going revision of family law to allow altruistic surrogacy. Katrin Helling Plahr, of the Free Democrats (FDP), has released a seven-page position paper on liberalizing fertility treatment.

The current law in Germany, the Embryo Protection Act, was passed in 1990, when social mores were different. It bans all surrogacy.
FDP members of the European Parliament propose three main amendments to the law. They want full support for fertility treatments, regardless of the family model the applicants are in. They want to update artificial reproduction by permitting egg donation, embryo donation and non-commercial surrogacy.

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Surrogacy, Uncategorized

5 Years After Twin Helped Her Sister Become A Mother, The 2 Share Joy And Grief

Source WBUR

Five years ago, Melissa Turner, of Quincy, Massachusetts, went above and beyond the bond of sisterhood when she decided to help her identical twin, Jen, of Plymouth, fulfill her dream of being a mother.

After getting married, Jen and her husband wanted to start a family right away. But after a miscarriage and a barrage of health problems, it was Melissa, who goes by Mel, who proposed the idea of surrogacy. In May 2014, Mel became pregnant after artificially inseminating her own egg. In a surprising twist, the sisters learned Mel was pregnant with twins.

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Uncategorized

Virginia sends bill expanding surrogacy, erasing ‘mother’ and ‘father’ from some laws to gov’s desk

Source Life Site News

RICHMOND, Virginia, February 25, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A bill dramatically expanding surrogacy and erasing the words “father,” “mother,” “husband,” and “wife” from certain laws has passed both chambers of the Virginia legislature and now awaits the governor’s signature.

The bill, HB 1979, expands the availability of surrogacy and defines parenthood based on “intent” rather than biology. The Virginia House of Delegates approved HB 1979 on February 5; the state Senate passed a version 28 to 12 on February 18, and then the House approved the Senate version on February 20.

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Uncategorized

Five Ways to Know If You’d Make a Good Gestational Surrogate

Source Good Men Project

Being a surrogate mother has its rewards, like the incomparable ability to share the gift of parenthood with those who are unable to get pregnant. But it won’t just help others; becoming a surrogate allows you to fund your family’s dreams at the same time. Gestational surrogates are well compensated financially for helping intended parents become a family. Discover if you have what it takes to help two families achieve their dreams simultaneously.

You are physically strong and healthy

Good candidates are between the ages of 21 and 39 and have already experienced an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery. Many women have uncomplicated pregnancies and deliveries but may underestimate the physical challenges of helping a family experience the miracle of life.
Gestational surrogates undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they have the best chances of carrying a healthy pregnancy and can withstand an IVF procedure. You must agree to maintain a clean and healthy environment for yourself and the growing baby, and endure pregnancy and birth.

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Uncategorized

IVFML Season 2, Episode 6: Deciding To Use A Surrogate Is The Easy Part

Source Huffington Post

Andrea Syrtash and her husband had done 18 fertility treatments over the course of almost a decade before they began considering gestational surrogacy.

While other women may mourn their inability to carry a pregnancy to term, Syrtash was relieved after she finally made the decision.

“I’ve been beaten down by all these years and treatments,” she said. “And there was something really nice about just giving my body a break and hopefully having another healthy body in the mix to carry a healthy embryo.”

But making the decision to use a surrogate is relatively easy compared with the expense and effort of finding a woman to carry a pregnancy for you.

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Uncategorized

Cushman & Wakefield introduces six months surrogacy leave policy

Source People Matters

In 2015, the department of personnel and training (DoPT) had instructed all Central ministries and departments to implement an order of the Delhi High Court for granting maternity leave to female employees who choose to have a child by commissioning a surrogacy. Such leave would include both the pre-natal and post-natal period.

The amendment in Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 aiming to double the maternity leave for women employees get sanctioned last year. This pro-women proposal raised the maternity leave timeframe from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. Also, Commissioning mothers who use surrogates to bear their child and adopting mothers get entitlement for 12 weeks of maternity leave.

In an attempt to support the advancement of their women employees, as well as creating an atmosphere of understanding and upliftment, Cushman & Wakefield, has introduced a six-month surrogacy leave.

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Donor Eggs, donor sperm, Ireland, Uncategorized

Ireland – ‘Hello, my beautiful donor baby’: The Irish people becoming parents with donor eggs and sperm

Source Her

Do you know a couple who have experienced fertility problems?

Lots of us would probably say yes – but do you know anyone who has conceived a baby via donor sperm or egg?
Chances are you do.

As a nation, we’re beginning to strip back the veil of secrecy that once hung over infertility and assisted reproduction – but the last taboo may be the thousands of Irish babies that have been born with the help of a donor.

There are no official figures for Ireland but according to Dr Florencia Steinvarcel of Dublin’s Sims Clinic, around 40 per cent of the people who have IVF treatment there use a donor sperm or egg.

Dr Simon Fishel, founder of Beacon CARE Fertility, meanwhile estimates that 5,000 to 7,000 people a year travel abroad from Ireland and the UK just for egg donations.

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Uncategorized

20 Ways Becoming A Parent Via Surrogate Is Different From Natural Birth

Source Moms.com

Back in former times, there were only so many things a couple could do to have a baby. If the old fashioned way of procreating didn’t work due to issues with the male or woman, they were typically too shamed or embarrassed to even talk about it. Science wasn’t at its peak in terms of alternate ways to have a baby.

Nowadays (thankfully), we have artificial insemination (mom and donor, dad and donor, or two unknown donors), in vitro fertilization (IVF), intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, adoption, and many other ways to help a couple become a family. Most notably, the art of surrogacy is gaining popularity.

Just as there are options for how a couple wants to get pregnant, there are also options in surrogacy. A surrogate can be used as a shell while the mom’s egg and the dad’s sperm are already combined and just implemented in the surrogate. Or perhaps a woman is impregnated by a male’s sperm, with her being the biological mother (but won’t physically raise the child).

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