Tag: surrogacy

compensation, Surrogacy Law, Surrogate Mother

Washington State Considers Legalizing Commercial Surrogacy

Intended Parents

Source: Christian Headlines

Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstockphotos.com

Washington state could legalize commercial surrogacy, where the surrogate mother is compensated beyond medical expenses.

According to The Christian Post, children’s rights advocates say the proposal is “selling” babies.

Wednesday morning, the Washington state House of Representative passed the “Uniform Parentage Act.” House Democrats voted in favor of the act. Every Republican member opposed the bill.

“For House Republicans, this bill was a matter of conscience,” said house member Liz Pike, according to Clark County Today.

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Australia, Embryo, Gestational surrogacy, Infertility, intended parents, IVF, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

Australia – Surrogacy success for Hunter family with new baby after years of heartache, IVF, and two surrogates.

Intended Parents

Source: Newcastle Herald

Priceless: Kristy and Craig Darken with baby Henry, born via a surrogate. Kristy described the process as akin to having all of the ingredients to make a cake, but baking it in someone else’s oven. Picture: Kelsey Mlekus Photography

BY the time Kristy and Craig Darken found out they were going to be parents, they had almost given up all hope of holding a child of their own in their arms.

It had been close to eight years of highs and lows, of hope and of devastation, as the Elermore Vale couple trod the testing track of having a baby via a surrogate.

But then, countless counselling sessions, IVF, two surrogates and 10 embryos later, a tearful late night phone call came from Kristy’s sister, Rebecca.

“She was crying her eyes out,” Kristy said.

“I thought she was crying because she knew it was our last try. I thought she was devastated. Then finally, she said, ‘I’m pregnant. It worked’.

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Donor Eggs, IVF Treatment, Sperm Donor, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

Women seeking cheap fertility treatment abroad

Intended Parents

Source:  The Times

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Women travelled for conventional IVF treatments, egg donation and surrogacy services SEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/GETTY IMAGES

More than 3,000 women travel abroad for cheap assisted human reproduction treatments every year, a leading fertility doctor has estimated.

Dr John Kennedy, medical director of Virtus Health, the largest provider of fertility services in Ireland, said the figure included those who travelled to get conventional IVF treatments, egg donation and surrogacy services.

He said it was difficult to get exact figures because some women travelled without informing their fertility doctors, but that 3,000 was a reasonable estimate. The average cost of a cycle of IVF in Ireland is between €5,000 and €7,000, but can cost less than €3,000 in some eastern European countries. Dr Kennedy said these countries were always going to be cheaper, but there could be differences in quality of care.

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intended parents, Surrogacy, Surrogacy Law, Surrogate Mother

Republican lawmakers enraged by passage of ‘The Uniform Parenting Act’

Intended Parents

Source: Clark County Today

Senate Bill 6037 allows for paid surrogacy in the state of Washington

Sometimes I have the pleasure of telling you a story and sometimes the story just tells itself.

It’s safe to say a number of area lawmakers have had some tough days during the current legislative session in Olympia but the past 24 hours just might have been the toughest for Reps. Liz Pike (R — 18th District) and Vicki Kraft (R — 17th District) and others.

Pike, Kraft and their fellow lawmakers were on the floor of the house until after midnight in the a.m. hours of Wednesday. I spoke with Kraft by telephone this morning and I believe she told me that she was still testifying on the floor of the House of Representatives after midnight.

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Gestational carrier agreements, intended parents, Surrogacy, Surrogacy Law, Surrogate Mother

Tell children created through surrogacy how they were born, says first-ever Government guidance

Intended Parents

Source: The Telegraph

Parents are also warned not to enter into informal surrogacy arrangements but to use a surrogacy organisation to arrange the process, and advised not to go abroad but to use licensed clinics in the UK. CREDIT: DAVID JONES /PA

Children created through surrogacy should be told how they were born, the Government has said for the first time.

The first-ever official guidance for surrogacy arrangements says that “openness, confidence and transparency about a child’s origins from an early age (pre-school) is the best way to talk to children about their identity and origins”.

Parents are also warned not to enter into informal surrogacy arrangements but to use a surrogacy organisation to arrange the process, and advised not to go abroad but to use licensed clinics in the UK.

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Gay baby boom, Gay Parenting, Same Sex, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

Gay Baby Boom Part 1 : Connecticut fertility clinics see increase in same-sex couples

Intended Parents

Source: News 8

NORWALK, Conn. (WTNH) — Marriage equality has given more same-sex couples confidence to start a family – making local fertility clinics busier than ever. News 8’s Connecticut Families begins a two part look at what’s being called a Gay Baby Boom.

“Someone’s sexuality doesn’t necessarily come into playing regards to their desire to be a parent,” says Dr. Mark Leondires.

Suddenly, 60% of his clients are prospective parents who are gay, many of them male couples.

“For a long time, being a LBGT, we worried about safety,” he explains. “Now, with almost a stamp of validation from our Supreme Court, there’s a sense of safety and you feel like you’re family is going to be safe, as well.”

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Gay baby boom, Gay Parenting, Same Sex, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

Gay Baby Boom Part 2: A Westport couple shares their personal fertility journey

Intended Parents

Source: News 8

NORWALK, Conn. (WTNH)–Marriage equality has given more same-sex couples the confidence to start a family, making local fertility clinics busier than ever. It’s being called a Gay Baby Boom. In Part 2 of a special series, News 8 introduces viewers to a Westport couple, sharing their personal journey to have kids.

“It was something I always did want but didn’t think it was in my realm of possibilities,” says Greg Zola. As a young, gay man, he wasn’t sure he could realize his dream of becoming a parent.

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Divorce, intended parents, Law, Same Sex, Surrogacy Law

U.S. Supreme Court rejects Tucson woman’s argument in gay marriage, child custody matter

Intended Parents

Source: Tuscan.com

The U.S. Supreme Court this morning rejected a bid by a Tucson woman arguing that gay marriages are not legally the same as others, at least when it comes to divorce.

Without comment the justices rejected a bid by Kimberly McLaughlin to deny shared custody of her biological child with Suzan McLaughlin, who she was legally married to at the time of the child’s birth.

Keith Berkshire, Kimberly McLaughlin’s attorney, acknowledged to the justices that two prior rulings had said that all marriages are entitled to the same benefits.

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Gay Parenting, Gestational surrogacy, Hysterectomy, Infertility, intended parents, Same Sex, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

Using a Surrogate

Intended Parents

Source: WINFertility

What You Need to Know

There are several reasons to consider using a surrogate to bear your child. Male same-sex couples who want to have a biological child often use a surrogate. Some women are unable to carry and bear a child due to cancer treatment, genetic conditions, having had a hysterectomy, or medical conditions that make it dangerous for them to get pregnant. Sometimes couples use a surrogate when other fertility treatments have not been successful for them or there are problems with the female partner’s uterus. You may have heard of celebrity couples who have used surrogates, such as Jimmy Fallon and his wife Nancy Juvonen, and Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Here are some facts you need to know before you start on your journey to a family with a surrogate.

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intended parents, Ireland, Surrogacy, Surrogacy Law, Surrogate Mother

Ireland – Call for legislation to treat surrogate mothers equally

Intended Parents

Source: Connacht Tribune

A Galway City councillor has called on the Health Minister to consider introducing legislation giving surrogate mothers maternity leave so they are not treated any differently from natural or adoptive parents.

Fine Gael Cllr Padraig Conneely said he is aware of several couples in Galway who have become parents through a surrogacy arrangement abroad.

Surrogacy is a way for a childless couple or individual to have a child, with a surrogate mother carrying the child. The surrogate mother agrees to be artificially inseminated or to have an embryo transferred to her womb in order to become pregnant. She then carries the child to term with the intention of giving custody of the child to the “commissioning” person or couple.

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Donor Eggs, Donor Embryos, Egg Donation, Egg Donor, Embryo, Gay Parenting, Gestational surrogacy, Same Sex, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

3 Questions Queer People Should Ask Before Growing Our Families

Intended Parents

Source: Forbes

Traditional methods aren’t typically available for queer people to grow their families, and growing families non-traditionally can be expensive. What are the options and costs for queer couples and individuals to consider when family planning?

3 Questions Queer People Should Ask Before Growing Our Families – photo by Shutterstock

The cost to raise a child from birth to 18 years old, not including family planning or college, is estimated by the USDA to be about $245,340. For many LGBT families, this is the minimum cost. This is why lack of financial planning when family planning could put queer families at financial risk.

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Cancer, Embryo Freezing, Gestational surrogacy, Infertility, Surrogate Mother, UK

Selfless surrogate delivers her own niece after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer months after dream wedding despite having no symptoms

Intended Parents

Source: Daily Mail

Randi Fishman was 28, newly married, and ready to start a family when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2011.

The crushing news was made all the more painful when her Maryland doctors said that, even if she overcame the disease, carrying children could be a risk that could cost Randi her life.

She immediately got her eggs frozen, and along with husband Zach, then also 28, started the lengthy and expensive process to find a surrogate to carry their embryos fertilized by IVF.

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Sperm Donor

For gay parents, first comes the baby — then comes the debt

Intended Parents

Source: NBCNews

There are more options than ever for same-sex couples looking to expand their families, but it’s not a simple — or affordable — endeavor for many.

Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and his husband, British Olympic diver Tom Daley, announced on Valentine’s Day that they’re expecting their first child. But while there are more options than ever for same-sex couples looking to expand their families, it’s not a simple — or affordable — endeavor for many.

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Embryo, Gestational surrogacy, Infertility, Jewish, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

One Woman’s Body, Another Woman’s Baby

Intended Parents

Source: Jewish Journal

A large chalkboard in the kitchen of the Sherman Oaks home of Sam and Rachel Simkin proclaims, “Please excuse the mess, we are making memories.” Those memories are being made with their children: Jonah, 9, Penina, 7, Vered, 4, and their 12-year-old golden retriever, Nagy.

Rachel, 38, is finishing pumping breast milk for the fourth baby she gave birth to in November. He was nicknamed “Baby G” while in utero. However, he is not the Simkins’ son. Rachel was a gestational surrogate, implanted with an embryo created via in vitro fertilization with Mr. and Mrs. G’s egg and sperm.

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New Zealand, Surrogacy, Surrogate Mother

New Zealand – Toni Street: How I explained surrogacy to my girls 

Intended Parents

Source: NZ Herald

Telling your kids that they’re about to get a younger sibling can be tricky at the best of times.

But having to explain that their baby brother will be born via surrogate has made for an added twist for The Hits host Toni Street to navigate.

Street – who announced she will have her third child with the help of her best friend Sophie Braggins – says she decided to “keep it really simple” when breaking the news to her daughters, Juliette, 5, and Mackenzie, 2.

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compensation, New Zealand, Surrogacy, Surrogacy Law, Surrogate Mother

New Zealand – Calls for surrogates to be compensated – as Toni Street announces baby news

Intended Parents

Source:  NZ Herald

A leading surrogacy lawyer and doctor have called for a law change to allow compensation to be paid to women who bear a baby for someone else.

Broadcaster Toni Street last night went public on how she and her husband Matt France’s third child is being carried by a surrogate – Street’s best friend Sophie Braggins.

The couple turned to a surrogate after Street was diagnosed with a rare and incurable auto-immune condition shortly after she gave birth to Mackenzie in mid-2015.

Zandra Wackenier, who has represented surrogate mothers and “intending parents” in dozens of applications to authorities, says she supports a continuation of commercial surrogacy in New Zealand, but she also believes surrogates should be compensated for their out-of-pocket expenses.

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endometriosis, India, Infertility, Surrogacy

India – Ending the option of carrying a child is about taking control of the body

Intended Parents

Source:  HindustanTimes

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American actress Lena Dunham’s poignant article in the March issue of the US Vogue about her decision to have her womb surgically removed at 31 when many young women begin considering having a baby is not just about her ending her decade-long battle against endometriosis.

It’s about choice and taking control of her body, even if it means ending the option of carrying a child.

The night before the surgery, when the nurse asked her one last time: “Is there any chance you could be pregnant?” The star of the TV series, Girls, said: “‘Well, not after tomorrow,’ I say. I wish there were a word for when nobody likes your jokes but you make them anyway.”

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Infertility, intended parents, New Zealand, Surrogacy, Surrogacy Law, Surrogate Mother

New Zealand – Baby joy for Toni Street – via surrogacy

Intended Parents

Source:  New Zealand Herald

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Toni Street and her best mate Sophie Braggins. Braggins is acting as Street’s surrogate and carrying her third child, due in August.

Broadcaster Toni Street and her husband are expecting their third child – this time via a surrogate mother.

Street has opened up on the happy family news for her and husband Matt France and also spoken of the serious health battle that has required them to use a surrogate – Street’s best friend Sophie Braggins – to add to their current family of two young daughters.

Street – a co-host of the The Hits’ popular morning radio show – and France will welcome a baby boy into their family in August.

They have gone public as a rising number of Kiwi families face a range of fertility issues, with some looking at the option of investigating surrogacy.

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Surrogacy, Surrogacy Law, Surrogate Mother

What is surrogacy?

Intended Parents

Kim and Kanye are the latest celebrity couple to have a baby using a surrogate. They join the likes of Nicole Kidman, Tyra Banks, and Elton John and his partner David Furnish, who have all turned to surrogacy to have children.

It’s not just high-profile couples who are using a surrogate to help them start or add to their families. According to Surrogacy UK on average 10 children are born through surrogacy each week.

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Surrogacy, Surrogacy Law

Calling for a Radical Change of Perspective on Surrogate Motherhood

Intended Parents

Source: The Center for Bioethics and Culture

23 NGOs (including The Center for Bioethics and Culture) from eight countries and two international networks (including the #StopSurrogacyNow Coalition) have issued a renewed call to the members of the Experts’ Group of the Hague International Conference.

Specifically, we are asking them to:

1. Renounce working on any instrument which would tend to organize surrogate motherhood internationally or would favor mutual recognition in this domain;

2. Recognize the necessity of a Convention on the Abolition of Surrogacy, similar to what was done against slavery and practices analogous to slavery with the Conventions of 1926 and 1956, and to recommend that the Member States of the Conference engage in this direction within the United Nations, which is the relevant organisation in this respect.

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