Tag: LGBTQ Parental Rights

Ireland, LGBTQ Parental Rights, Surrogacy

Ireland – ‘How can I move home when Irish law does not recognise I am my son’s father?’

Intended Parents

Source Irish Times
Parents who have had children by surrogacy are put off returning because of a legal limbo

After tens of thousands of dollars spent on IVF over three years, Jay O’Callaghan and his husband, Aaron O’Bryan, became a family in 2017 when their son, Jake, was born through surrogacy in Toronto, where the couple have lived for seven years.

On Jake’s Canadian birth certificate, both O’Callaghan and O’Bryan are listed as his parents, but under current Irish family law, neither has any legal rights over their son.

In Ireland, the surrogate mother and her husband would be considered Jake’s legal parents, even though she has no biological connection to Jake – a donor egg was used – and relinquished all rights.

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Egg Donor, LGBTQ, Sperm Donor

Canada – Paying Sperm And Egg Donors Will Help LGBTQ Couples Build Families

Intended Parents

Source Huffington Post

The Canadian government is considering amendments to the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (AHRA) that will benefit the LGBTQ community.

On May 29, Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather introduced a private members bill to the House of Commons. He is seeking decriminalization of surrogacy services and consideration of reasonable compensation for egg and sperm donation in Canada.

It’s currently illegal to pay, offer to pay or advertise payment for sperm, eggs, or surrogacy services. Under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004, any compensation beyond reasonable expenditures is a criminal offence punishable by 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. What constitutes a legitimate expense has yet to be clearly defined by the government, leading to criticism of the Act by many doctors and legal experts.

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LGBTQ Parental Rights

Lesbian Mom Secures Parental Rights In Illinois—But The Fight Goes On In Other States

Intended Parents

Source INTO

Ashlie Judd was listed as the parent on her daughter’s birth certificate, but it took a court ruling to establish her parental rights.

Late last week, an Illinois appeals court ruled in her favor, affirming the rights of both hers and other same-sex non-biological parents in the state.

The case dates back to 2014 when Judd and her ex-wife Dee Baron-Judd brought a daughter into their family. According to court documents, the couple selected a sperm donor together who would reflect Judd’s physical appearance, jointly paid for fertility treatments, held a baby shower together, and welcomed their daughter in the hospital. (Baron-Judd is the biological mother.)

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LGBTQ Parental Rights

Italy – Italy Takes A Grande Step Forward For LGBT Parental Rights

Intended Parents

Source Above The Law

An exciting first: a same-sex female couple was permitted to register their donor-conceived son to both women as parents.

Although Italy may be the international capital for art, it isn’t anywhere close to being the international capital for ART law. That is, assisted reproductive technology (ART). Use of assisted reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy is highly regulated, and it is reserved only for those in “stable heterosexual relationships.” I’m not sure many of us, regardless of sexual orientation, can confidently claim that status.

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