08 Apr 2020 International Intended Parents: COVID-19 Travel Advice for US Surrogacy, Birth
Join assisted reproductive technology attorneys Rich Vaughn and Molly O’Brien of International Fertility Law Group as they share information and advice for international intended parents planning to travel for the births of their babies via surrogacy in the United States during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Planning...
08 Apr 2020 International Intended Parents: Getting Home with Your Baby During COVID-19
Join assisted reproductive technology attorneys Rich Vaughn and Molly O’Brien of International Fertility Law Group as they share information and advice for international intended parents planning to travel for the births of their babies via surrogacy in the United States during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Getting...
03 Apr 2020 Coronavirus COVID-19 Info for Intended Parents, Surrogates, Donors, 3rd Party Matching Programs
As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreads around the world and throughout the U.S., our professional community and policymakers, intended parents, donors, surrogates, third-party ART agencies, and the public in general are seeking advice regarding how those who are undergoing or planning infertility treatment should...
03 Apr 2020 COVID-19: Report from IFLG’s Beijing Office
Our Beijing-based IFLG team member, paralegal Peiya Wang, put together this fascinating report of how the COVID-19 epidemic has progressed in China, measures implemented to slow its spread, and how the population there is coping with the unexpected disruption to daily life....
03 Apr 2020 ART Attorneys Urge Emergency Action on Newborn Passports During COVID-18 Crisis
Among the many challenges intended parents are facing during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is the difficulty in obtaining newborn passports enabling them to take their babies born via surrogacy in the United States back to their home countries. In a still developing story, assisted reproduction attorneys...
02 Apr 2020 New York Ends Surrogacy Ban, Enacts Surrogate Bill of Rights
The New York state legislature passed today a landmark bill that will end New York’s three-decade ban on compensated surrogacy, establishing a surrogate bill of rights and streamlining the parental establishment process for intended parents. As we wrote last year, reproductive health experts and advocates were...
31 Mar 2020 New York Governor Cuomo Reverses Hospital COVID-19 Ban on Birth Partners
Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a directive over the weekend lifting a ban on visitors for pregnant women giving birth in New York State, reversing policies implemented by two large New York hospital systems in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to CNN....
29 Mar 2020 UK Asks Intended Parents to 'Avoid Becoming Pregnant' During COVID-19 Pandemic
British and European reproductive health experts are advising those undertaking fertility treatments to "avoid becoming pregnant" during the COVID-19 pandemic, as numbers of infections mount and health resources are stretched to the limit. Guidance issued March 18 by the British Fertility Society (BFS) and the Association...
28 Mar 2020 LGBTQ Intended Parents Juggle COVID-19 Travel Bans, Birth Plan Disruptions
As intended parents, donors and surrogates all over the world are postponing procedures, cancelling appointments, and juggling last-minute changes to travel and birthing plans due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, LGBTQ intended parents are among those most impacted by the crisis. The legalization of same-sex marriage...
27 Mar 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Forces Intended Parents to Delay Surrogacy
Yesterday I participated in the second weekly national webinar for surrogacy professionals, convened by the American Bar Association and SEEDS (Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy). The webinars have been a great forum for fertility lawyers, reproductive healthcare providers, surrogacy and donor agencies...
25 Mar 2020 Spouses, Partners Banned from Delivery Rooms in New York COVID-19 Response
As the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the daily lives of millions, pregnant women are facing the prospect of delivering without the comfort of spouses, partners or doulas at their sides. Two large New York City hospital networks—New York-Presbyterian and Mt. Sinai Health System—announced new...
23 Mar 2020 ASRM Advises Delaying Non-Urgent Fertility Treatment, New York Times Reports
In the midst of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, reproductive healthcare professionals are advised to avoid initiating non-urgent new fertility treatment, under new guidelines just issued by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). The ASRM recommendations include: Suspension of initiation of new treatment cycles, including ovulation induction,...
22 Mar 2020 ART Professionals Share Info for Surrogates, Intended Parents Navigating COVID-19
I was honored to participate recently in a national surrogacy professionals COVID-19 webinar designed to share information and best practices to help surrogates and intended parents plan and cop during the crisis. ...
21 Mar 2020 Is COVID-19 a Risk to Pregnancy, Surrogates and Newborns? NEW INFO
As the states of California and New York impose stringent shutdowns and concerns about travel restrictions and postponed procedures rise, intended parents and surrogates are also asking about potential health risks to pregnant surrogates and babies during the coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic. ...
20 Mar 2020 More COVID-19 Pregnancy Information for Intended Parents, Surrogates
Here is more information for intended parents and surrogates about the coronavirus disease COVID-19 and what experts are saying about its potential impact on pregnancy. Thanks to our colleague Dr. John Norian of HRC Fertility for sharing this informative Q&A, much of which is drawn from...
11 Mar 2020 New Law Requires IVF Insurance for 2.5 Million New Yorkers
Under a new law effective January 1, about half of insured New Yorkers—some 2.5 million people—now have access to insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization, or IVF, for treatment of infertility. Passed in 2019 as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2020 proposal, the law requires large...
10 Mar 2020 Worried Surrogacy Is Exploitative? Try Talking to A Surrogate!
As sometimes happens, I had one of those days recently during which events seemed to highlight for me some of the most critical issues in the field of assisted reproductive technology (ART) law today. I traveled out of state a few days ago for a series...
21 Feb 2020 Swiss Voters Reject Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination
Earlier this month the people of Switzerland voted by a surprisingly wide margin to make it illegal to discriminate publicly based on a person’s sexual orientation. The 63 percent to 37 percent gap was larger than anticipated, providing a big boost for LGBTQ rights in...
14 Feb 2020 New York Continues Push to End Surrogacy Ban as New States Enact Them
Governor Andrew Cuomo is standing by his commitment to eliminate the three-decade ban on commercial, or compensated, surrogacy in New York, one of two states in the nation that currently criminalize surrogacy. On February 11, Cuomo and advocates for reproductive freedom launched the “Love Makes A...
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...