10 Feb 2020 Surrogacy Education Down Under Kicks Off IFLG's 2020 Travel Plans
I was excited and honored to have the opportunity to speak on U.S. surrogacy laws at two Growing Family conferences on February 8 in Sydney and on February 9 in Melbourne, Australia. Both full-day conferences were parent-curated surrogacy education events designed to provide potential intended parents and their families a comprehensive view of what is involved in surrogacy and egg donation: legal and ethical considerations, available resources, costs and challenges.
The Australian presentations are just two of several educational forums and conferences on assisted reproductive technology (ART) law where International Fertility Law Group (IFLG) will be presenting in 2020. Our speaking itinerary includes Dallas, New York, Provincetown, Massachusetts; Portland, Oregon; Washington, DC; and San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, California, as well as London, Paris, Berlin and Cologne, Germany; and Brussels, Belgium. The hosting organizations, which I, my family and my firm, International Fertility Law Group, sponsor and support throughout the year, include Growing Families, Men Having Babies, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, American Bar Association, Academy of California Adoption and ART Lawyers, American Academy of Adoption and ART Attorneys, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, and Family Equality.
Education and advocacy have been part of IFLG’s mission since our founding. Because the field of assisted reproduction is both new and constantly evolving, those of us practicing in this field of law have often been trail blazers, in many cases working with local courts and government agencies to make case law and develop regulations designed to safeguard all parties and, most importantly, ensure the wellbeing of children born via ART. One of the highlights of 2019 was presenting with my colleagues in conjunction with Taiwan Pride on ART for same-sex couples. There, as in Europe last year, we were touched by how many people—gay, straight, married, single—were hungry for information, eager to find out whether assisted reproductive technology could offer an option for them to become parents. The opportunity to reassure potential intended parents, from my own personal experience, that the many challenges can be surmounted, with the best possible results, is one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
