The demand for assisted reproduction technology services is exploding. Of the nearly 2.7 million babies born in the United States in 2008, at least 38,496 (1.44 percent) were born via…
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to open hearings April 28 on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans in four states, a handful of contrarian holdouts continues to fuel the…
In its most recent ruling on families formed via assisted reproductive technology, the European Court of Human Rights has condemned Italian authorities for removing a child born to an Italian…
Britain’s Parliament voted this week to allow strictly limited use of a new fertility treatment that would allow women with a certain type of genetic disorder to become mothers without…
The question of whether egg donor fees constitute taxable income has long been a muddy area: states have varied on their interpretations; some agencies issue 1099s to donors, some don’t;…
Just out in the Jan. 23 issue of The Hollywood Reporter is a well-researched and informative article on assisted reproductive technology. Researchers from the publication interviewed me for the piece…
In a historic ruling today, Germany’s Supreme Court ruled that the government must recognize the children born via surrogacy in other countries as the legal offspring of German intended parents.…
Proponents of marriage equality have a lot to celebrate as we near the beginning of a new year. Since January 1, 2014, courts in 20 states have overturned bans on…
Even as technological advances make creating a family via assisted reproductive technology easier and safer with more reliable result, it remains inaccessible to many people for one simple reason: money.…
I am fortunate to participate in two great professional conferences, both of which bring together some of the best minds in assisted reproductive technology to share best practices and advance…
As of September, 17 state attorneys general had joined a “friend of the court” brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear same-sex marriage cases from the Fourth, Seventh and…
Effective Jan. 1, 2016, birth certificates of babies born in California will no longer identify a mother and father but will instead use the gender-neutral term “parent”
A number of high-profile cases of malfeasance or unethical activity related to international surrogacy have recently made headlines worldwide, fueling negative misconceptions.
Thomas made the decision to use her highly visible Today Show podium as a way to get the topic out in the open and potentially make others undergoing fertility treatment feel more comfortable and less alone in the process.
Earlier this month, the Thai military government conducted an audit of the nation’s in vitro fertilization and surrogacy agencies, a review that ultimately led to what by all reports was a virtual shutdown of the industry in Thailand.
New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan earlier this month signed SB 353, effective immediately, to bring New Hampshire’s existing surrogacy law up to speed with technological advances in ART and with nationwide best practices.
ABC report calls out Planet Hospital, a U.S.-based surrogacy brokerage offering surrogacy services in Cancun, Mexico, for allegedly shady practices.
In the wake of the June 26 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on two French cases, the Spanish ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs are ordering their consulates to reinstate registrations of children born via surrogacy to Spanish intended parents in countries where surrogacy is legal.
In a groundbreaking decision June 26, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in two cases that France must recognize the parental relationship of parents who have genetically related children via surrogacy in other countries.
New developments in the case of the Kansas sperm donor who, despite the fact he had no relationship or contact with the child conceived as a result of his genetic contribution, was ruled by a Kansas court to be the child’s father.
Surrogacy and parental establishment laws vary dramatically from state to state and from country to country.
Family Equality Council’s recent gala event, Night at the Pier, in New York, NY, honored three individuals who have been leaders in advocating for the equality of 3 million LGBT parents.
Continuing Legal Education Conference of the American Bar Association, Family Law Section, held in Southampton, Bermuda was an important opportunity for my colleagues in the fields of family law and fertility law.
A recent ruling by the European Court of Justice denied the claims of two mothers via surrogacy who had petitioned their employers for maternity leave.
Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce added recognition for same-sex married couples, vowing to treat same-sex spouses just like opposite-sex spouses.
Although the number of babies per IVF birth has dropped, today most of those multiples are twins. The next goal of professionals in the field is to reduce the number of twins.
It’s exciting to get to know people from all over the world and a privilege to play a small part in this tremendously important time in their lives.
The Kansas sperm donor who was sued for child support by the state Department for Children and Families (DCF) has had his day in court.
The people of Utah are divided between celebration and outrage in response to a federal court ruling Friday, Dec. 20, knocking down Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage on constitutional grounds.
The Today Show, as part of a series on ART, recently highlighted technological improvements that have resulted in fewer births of triplets and higher multiples and, increasingly, fewer births of twins.
Growing Generations, surrogacy and egg donation agency, was featured recently in an article in DuJour Magazine about the growing numbers of single men choosing to become parents via surrogacy.
“Who’s Your Daddy?” the first in the six-episode MTV docu-series, “Generation Cryo,” premiered Nov. 25 at 10 p.m. Pacific Time. The second episode, “Come To Grips,” will air next Monday,…
AFA’s recent initiative to help members of the U.S. armed forces and their families by providing information and resources and providing discounted infertility treatment and preservation services to service members.
This amazing story about fertility professionals who went above and beyond to salvage the hopes and dreams of intended parents really hits home.
A California bill recently signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown, AB 460, clarifies language and clears up confusion around whether gay and lesbian intended parents are entitled to insurance coverage for infertility treatment.
More and more women are becoming moms via egg donation over the past decade, with significantly improved outcomes, as reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s annual meeting in Boston
One of ABA Family Law Section Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology projects concerns updating the Model Act Governing Assisted Reproductive Technology in keeping with rapidly evolving customs and practices.
The ABA Family Law Section ART Committee is always actively engaged in developing and producing high-quality continuing legal education and mentoring on ART law topic
Despite the fact that more women are putting off marriage and childbirth until later in life, U.S. fertility rates haven’t changed significantly over the past 20 years
Delaware law now authorizes such agreements and establishes clear standards and procedures for defining the relationship of parent and child resulting from gestational surrogacy
I was honored recently to be named chair of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section Committee on Assisted Reproduction.
In-Vitro Maturation, or IVM, is one of the newest technologies being utilized in the fertility field as a cost-efficient, safe alternative to In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
I am pleased to report that the following article I wrote on California surrogacy law was published recently in the Family Law Review. To read full article click here: (2013) 3…
In the US approximately 2,000,000 men are diagnosed with infertility problems. The good news is that almost 99% of male infertility cases can be resolved.
Virtus Health Ltd, an Australian in-vitro fertilization company, made news recently by becoming the first IVF company traded on a major stock exchange.
Patric has become the poster child for a proposed new law that would expand the rights of California sperm donors to have a parental relationship with their offspring under certain conditions.
Boston IVF, a medical practice specializing in assisted reproductive technology (ART), has received a two-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to promote donation of frozen embryos.
A new gestational surrogacy law, AB 421, authored by Kim Surratt of Surratt Law Practice, PC, and an Of Counsel attorney to IFLG, was signed by the Governor of Nevada
The Child-Parent Security Act is in committee in the New York State legislature. The bill, introduced last May by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-88th), would legalize surrogacy in the state.
As a member of the American Fertility Association’s board of directors, I’m very proud to have been part of Illuminations LA 2013 on April 13.
If you have not requested an expedited birth certificate, it may take several weeks before your child’s birth certificate is available. Generally a written or online request is required for you to receive your child’s birth certificate, along with confirmation that you are an “authorized” person. You can order the certificate via an online service such as vitalchek.com or directly from the County Clerk or Recorder in the county where your baby was born. We strongly suggest you purchase multiple copies of your child’s birth certificate—particularly if you do not reside in the US or will need to request an amended birth certificate in future. The office will charge a per-copy fee.
Once the birth certificate worksheet is completed, the hospital birth clerk will send it to the vital records office in the county in which your child was born.
In the case of an expedited birth certificate request, ask the hospital birth clerk for the address of the local vital records office, where you will pick up the birth certificate in person. Call before you go to confirm the birth certificate is ready and available for you to pick up.
If you need an expedited birth certificate, as you might if you plan to take your baby home to another country, ask the hospital birth clerk to expedite the birth certificate request at this time. In most cases, you will receive the expedited birth certificate within a few days.
Following your baby’s birth, the hospital birth clerk will complete a birth certificate and birth registration worksheet.
Some states require that the birth registration documents include some information about the surrogate for public health and statistical purposes only, but such information will appear only on the confidential portion of the birth registration; however, the official birth certificate will not contain this information.
If your baby is born in a “pre-birth state,” where pre-birth orders of parentage are permitted for babies born via surrogacy, the birth clerk will use information from the pre-birth parentage judgment we obtain on your behalf. The parentage judgment will direct the registrar to allow you to name the child, as well as list you as the parent(s).
In states where pre-birth parentage orders are not allowed, the process is essentially the same except the birth clerk will eventually use information from the post-birth order we obtain on your behalf. In some instances, the birth clerk will need to send the birth registration to vital records before the post-birth order is obtained; and in these situations, the state’s Vital Records will enter the correct birth registration to show you as the legal parent(s).
