Federal Court Rules Gay Dads’ Baby Born Via Surrogacy Abroad Is U.S. Citizen

A federal court has ruled, once again, that the child of a legally married gay couple, born via surrogacy abroad, is a U.S. citizen and has been since her 2019 birth—refuting the Trump administration’s continuing policy of defining her and other similar surrogate births to LGBTQ parents as “out of wedlock.”

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Tennessee Adoption Law Among Surge of Discriminatory New ‘Religious Liberty’ Laws

Tennessee legislators passed a law this month that allows faith-based adoption and foster agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ people without jeopardizing their public funding. Governor Bill Lee has said he…

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Children Born Abroad Via Surrogacy Denied U.S. Citizenship

The conflict and division surrounding immigration in the United States have spread beyond border crossings and asylum claims. Based on a narrow interpretation of existing law, U.S. authorities have not…

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Israeli Government Continues Surrogacy Ban for Gay Dads

Tens of thousands of LGBT Israelis and their allies took to the streets Sunday, protesting a new Israeli surrogacy law that denies gay men the right to become parents via…

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Washington Legalizes Compensated Surrogacy

­­Congratulations to Washington State, which just became the first state to enact UPA 2017, the updated Uniform Parentage Act for use by U.S. states as uniform legislation for parentage laws,…

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Same-Sex Parents Sue State Department Over Genetics-Based Denial of Citizenship

The headlines have been full recently of the stories of two same-sex couples, one parents of twins, the other parents of sibling daughters, both suing the U.S. State Department in…

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2nd Parent Adoption Still Gold Standard to Secure LGBT Parental Rights

Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states, many LGBT parents and intended parents felt a weight lift from their shoulders: Now, surely,…

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First LGBT Love, Then Same-Sex Marriage… Now Where Best to Fill the Baby Carriage?

Navigating the Legal Maze for LGBT Intended Parents and Surrogacy Only a few short years ago, the idea of gay and lesbian couples having the same legal rights to marry…

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Sharing Promise of ART with LGBT China

I have the great honor of traveling next week to China and Japan to talk to members of the LGBT communities there about assisted reproductive technology and the legal considerations…

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Federal Court Says South Carolina Refusal to Recognize Same-Sex Moms Unconstitutional

A U.S. District Court ruled Feb. 16 that South Carolina’s refusal to list both parents on the birth certificates of twins born to a married lesbian couple violates the 14th…

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Presentations Aim to Advance Field of ART Law

The past several weeks have been a whirlwind of speaking engagements for me, primarily for the purpose of educating lawyers and sharing the knowledge and skills I’ve gained in the…

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End-of-Year Tax Question: Does 2*Gay = Infertility?

A law professor at Stetson University in Tampa, Florida, is suing the IRS to treat his and his partner’s assisted reproductive technology costs in the same way it has treated…

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Texas Birth Certificates to List 2 Moms, 2 Dads

The Texas Department of State Health Services made headlines last month when it revealed in a court filing that it would begin allowing same-sex parents’ names on children’s birth certificates—although…

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Even If Kim Davis Issues Marriage License, LGBT Intended Parents Need Court Order Granting Parental Rights

Since the June U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states, some LGBT intended parents who want to create families via surrogacy, egg donation or other forms…

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Two steps forward, one step back…

The New Jersey Supreme Court today stood up for equality, upholding a lower court ruling legalizing same sex marriage and the Illinois State Senate has passed the “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.”

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Iowa Supreme Court Ruling A Mixed Blessing for LGBT Parentage Law

The Gartner family of Iowa received wonderful news on May 3rd when they were notified that the Iowa Supreme Court agreed with them that the Department of Health must include the nonbiological mother of the couple’s daughter on the birth certificate.

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