Assisted Reproductive Technology / Foreign Surrogacy / International Surrogacy / Rich Vaughn Article

International Conference Addresses Human Rights of Children Born via Foreign Surrogacy

I had the great honor recently to represent the American Bar Association and its Assisted Reproduction Technology Committee at the first International Surrogacy Conference, hosted last month by Cambridge University’s…

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July 12, 2019

Cryopreservation / Frozen Embryos / In Vitro Fertilization / IVF

Will Embryo Mix-up Ultimately Make IVF Clinics Safer?

Intended parents everywhere are wincing this week, as they imagine themselves in the shoes of at least two heartbroken couples whose lives were turned upside down by an IVF clinic’s…

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July 12, 2019

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Foreign Surrogacy / International Surrogacy / Rich Vaughn Article / Surrogacy Latest News

Commission Takes First Steps Toward Ending UK Surrogacy Ban

Great news out of the UK! The UK Law Commission—the body that reviews outdated laws and recommends revisions to the UK government—has made provisional recommendations for reforming the United Kingdom’s…

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June 25, 2019

Fertility Law / New York / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Surrogacy Agreement / Surrogacy Latest News / Uncategorized

Left Blocks Bill to Overturn NY Surrogacy Ban

Even as it approaches the finish line, legislation to finally end New York state’s ban on gestational surrogacy is facing vocal opposition from an unexpected source: the feminist left. We…

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June 18, 2019

Foreign Surrogacy / Gay Fathers / IFLG / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Same Sex Parents / Surrogacy Latest News

Italy Backtracks on Recognition of Twins’ Non-Biological Dad

For more than two years, we’ve been following the case of two Italian dads, a gay couple, who became parents of twin boys via egg donation and surrogacy in Canada,…

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June 12, 2019

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / Embryo Disposition Agreement / Frozen Embryos / In Vitro Fertilization / IVF / Reproductive Laws

Ohio Appeals Court Affirms Embryos Are Not Persons

An Ohio appeals court upheld decades of legal precedent in ruling early this month that embryos are not persons. But viewed in the context of so-called “heartbeat laws” recently introduced…

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May 24, 2019

American Bar Association / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Parents

American Bar Calls Out Discrimination Against LGBTQ Parents

Many LGBT intended parents and their families rejoiced in 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court, in Obergefell v. Hodges, legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Finally, LGBT married couples…

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April 19, 2019

Adoption

Obstacles to Intercountry Adoption Add to Appeal of Assisted Reproduction

Growing obstacles to intercountry adoption have drastically reduced the number of children adopted by U.S. residents from other countries—making assisted reproduction an increasingly appealing alternative for many seeking to fulfill…

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April 4, 2019

Assisted Reproductive Technology / LGBT News / Surrogacy Latest News

Movement to End New York Surrogacy Ban Advances

New York advocates for reproductive freedom report progress in their efforts to end the state’s nearly three-decade ban on commercial surrogacy agreements. Despite ongoing organized opposition from far-right and anti-choice…

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March 19, 2019

Assisted Reproductive Technology / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents

Family Equality Council: Gayby Boom Just Getting Started

Following the historic 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, activists and social scientists speculated that more LGBT people would opt to become…

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February 11, 2019

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / Rich Vaughn Article

Sperm Stem Cell Research Offers Youngest Cancer Patients Future Fertility

Promising new research, published in the October 2018 issue of the journal Nature Communications, “could help today’s cancer survivors become tomorrow’s fathers,” as Today’s Kate Snow reported earlier this week.…

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January 18, 2019

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Services / Fertility Treatment / Foreign Surrogacy / Gay Fathers / Health Policy / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article

The State of ART 2019

As we prepare to welcome a new year, several recent events point to growing worldwide acceptance of, access to and affordability of assisted reproductive technology. The government of Ireland will,…

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December 28, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Foreign Surrogacy / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Parentage Orders / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Parents / Surrogacy Latest News

Surrogacy Bans Coming Down in Netherlands, Michigan, New York

Colleagues in Netherlands celebrated this week the news that at least two Dutch IVF clinics plan to open their doors in 2019 to same-sex couples who want to become parents…

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November 18, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Family Law / Fertility Law / Foreign Surrogacy / Health Policy / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Same Sex Marriage / Surrogacy Latest News

NAPHSIS Identity Documents Panel Informs Vital Records Agencies, ART Attorneys

The identity documents required to establish parentage in California, where your baby was born via egg donation and surrogacy, may be different than what you will need if you move…

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November 15, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents

Ireland Forces DNA Proof of Gay Dads’ Parentage

Ireland legalized same-sex marriage the same year the United States did, via a Supreme Court ruling in 2015. But just as is true of the U.S., Ireland has struggled to…

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September 21, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / IFLG / Intended Parents / LGBT News / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents

2nd-Parent Adoption Remains Best Protection for LGBT Parents

Huffington Post recently published an article by guest writer Lora Liegel about her experience as a legally married lesbian mom compelled to undergo “second-parent” adoption of her son, Finn, in…

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September 2, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Foreign Surrogacy / Gay Fathers / IFLG / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Parentage Orders / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents / Surrogacy Latest News

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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July 25, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / Embryo Disposition Agreement / Fertility Law / Frozen Embryos / IFLG / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article

Washington Post Article Cites Concerns Arizona Law Gives Personhood to Embryos

Under a new Arizona law, in divorce cases involving frozen embryos, courts are mandated to award custody of the embryos to the “spouse who intends to allow the in vitro…

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July 20, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Rich Vaughn Article / Surrogacy Latest News

New Jersey Surrogacy Law Ends 30-Year Ban

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy just signed a law legalizing gestational carrier agreements, effectively lifting a 30-year ban on surrogacy in the state. Passage of S482, the “New Jersey Gestational…

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June 1, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Fertility Services / Fertility Treatment / IFLG / National Infertility Awareness Week / Rich Vaughn Article

National Infertility Awareness Week Champions Reproductive Rights

This week, April 22 through 28, is National Infertility Awareness Week (https://infertilityawareness.org/). Established by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association in 1989, the week is a collaborative effort of consumers, legislators,…

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April 23, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / Embryo Disposition Agreement / Family Law / Fertility Law / Frozen Embryos / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article

New Embryo Custody Law Strips Arizonans of Reproductive Rights

Arizona legislators just passed, and GOP Governor Doug Ducey signed into law, SB 1397, an onerous new law with potentially disastrous impacts on the lives of intended parents; on the…

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April 6, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Gay Fathers / IFLG / Intended Parents / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Parentage Orders / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Parents / Surrogacy Latest News

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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March 6, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Intended Parents / LGBT News / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Parents

Path2Parenthood “Illuminations 2018” Honor Inspires Humility, Pride

For the past decade I have been involved as a member, board member, sponsor and active participant in Path2Parenthood (formerly known as the American Fertility Association), a national non-profit organization…

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March 2, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Foreign Surrogacy / IFLG / International Surrogacy / Rich Vaughn Article

Berlin ‘Fertility Days’ Signals Groundswell of Interest in Assisted Reproduction

We at International Fertility Law Group are proud, in partnership with Oregon Reproductive Medicine, to officially represent the United States in the field of fertility law at the second annual…

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February 2, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Surrogacy Latest News

30 Years After Baby M, Task Force Says Lift New York Surrogacy Ban

Nearly 30 years ago, in reaction to the notorious “Baby M” case, several states, including New Jersey, New York, Michigan and Washington, DC, banned paid surrogacy, declaring surrogacy agreements invalid.…

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January 31, 2018

2016 Election / American Bar Association / Egg Donation Information / Family Law / Gay Fathers / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Parentage Orders / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents / Sperm Donation Information / Surrogacy Latest News

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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January 25, 2018

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / Embryo Disposition Agreement / Frozen Embryos

Baby Born from 24-Year-Old Frozen Embryo Highlights Promise of ART

For many of us, the New Year is a time to pause a moment, to count our blessings and to look back at past achievements. Each year, advances in assisted…

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January 8, 2018

American Bar Association / Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / Embryo Disposition Agreement / Fertility Services / Frozen Embryos / IFLG / In Vitro Fertilization / Rich Vaughn Article

What to Do With Abandoned Embryos

The problem began decades ago, in the late 1970s, as soon as the first babies created via the then-new technology of in vitro fertilization began to be born. It drew…

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November 6, 2017

Family Law / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents

Windsor’s Courageous Fight Ended Federal Discrimination Against Same-Sex Marriage

We at IFLG mourn the passing of Edith Windsor, the courageous woman whose demand that her government treat her and her marriage with fairness brought down the U.S. Defense of…

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September 17, 2017

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Family Law / Fertility Law / Foreign Surrogacy / Gay Fathers / Intended Parents / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Parentage Orders / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents / Surrogacy Latest News / Uncategorized

French Court Creates Parentage Path in Foreign Surrogacy

A July 5 ruling by the French supreme court, or Cour de cassation, has brought some clarity but not necessarily made things any easier for French intended parents seeking French…

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July 19, 2017

American Bar Association / Assisted Reproductive Technology / Family Law / Fertility Law / IFLG / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article

It’s A Book!

It’s finally out, in paper and in e-version! After three years of writing, rewriting, editing, proofreading and  more of the same, as I was talking to potential intended parents in…

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June 30, 2017

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Fertility Treatment / Gay Fathers / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Parentage Orders / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents

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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June 9, 2017

2018 Election / Gay Fathers / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents

Why I Support Gavin Newsom for California Governor

As a young gay professional back in the early 2000s, I can remember thinking it might be legal someday for me to marry my partner in my resident state of…

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June 8, 2017

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Parentage Orders / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Surrogacy Latest News

DC Lifts 25-Year Ban on Surrogacy Agreements

Surrogacy agreements became legal in the District of Columbia for the first time in 25 years on April 7, following Congressional approval of a statute passed by the district city…

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June 2, 2017

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Foreign Surrogacy / Intended Parents / International Surrogacy / Reproductive Laws / Surrogacy Latest News

Cambodia Offers Vietnam Exit Plan for Families Stranded by Surrogacy Ban

The Cambodian government finally took action last month to resolve a legal quandary that trapped dozens of foreign couples and their unborn or newborn children in the country following its…

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May 22, 2017

American Bar Association / Assisted Reproductive Technology / In Vitro Fertilization / Rich Vaughn Article

A Million US Babies Have Been Born Via ART

The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, or SART, announced May 2 that, with preliminary 2015 data in, more than 1 million babies have been born in the United States via…

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May 3, 2017

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Foreign Surrogacy / International Surrogacy / Parentage Orders / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Surrogacy Latest News

Mexican Surrogacy Crackdown Reaffirms: Foreign Surrogacy Has Always Been Risky

A recent crackdown on surrogacy in the Mexican state of Tobasco has forced foreign intended parents to sue the government to receive birth certificates for their children born via surrogacy…

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April 3, 2017

Adoption / Assisted Reproductive Technology / Family Law / Fertility Law / Fertility Treatment / IFLG / In Vitro Fertilization / Intended Parents / LGBT News / Parentage Orders / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents

Tennessee Lawmakers Propose Barrier for Married Lesbian Parents

The wheels of progress turn slowly, and in some parts of the world, leaders stand on the brakes, bring it to a screeching halt, then do their best to roll…

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February 17, 2017

Fertility Law / Surrogacy Latest News

California Court Rules Surrogacy Is Constitutional

A just-issued ruling from a California appeals court upheld the legality of properly executed surrogacy agreements and stated that a properly executed surrogacy agreement does not violate the constitutional rights…

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January 31, 2017

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / In Vitro Fertilization / Scientific Discovery

Cryopreservation Technology Offers Hope to Girls Undergoing Chemotherapy

For this season of hope, here’s a story of hope. As reported by the BBC, a 24-year-old woman, who was rendered infertile after chemotherapy for a life-threatening childhood blood disease,…

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December 24, 2016

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Cryopreservation / Embryo Distribution Agreement / Fertility Law / Fertility Treatment / Frozen Embryos / In Vitro Fertilization / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article

Vergara Embryo Suit Invokes Louisiana’s One-of-A-Kind Personhood Law

The sensational legal battle between actress Sofia Vergara and her ex-fiancé, Florida businessman Nick Loeb, over the disposition of the couple’s two fertilized embryos recently got even more sensational. On December…

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December 12, 2016

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Family Law / LGBT News / Reproductive Laws / Same Sex Parents / Sperm Donation Information

Kansas Sperm Donor Not the Father, Judge Rules

The notorious case of the Kansas sperm donor who ended up on the hook for child support at long last appears to have reached a conclusion. A Kansas District Court…

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November 30, 2016

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Parentage Orders / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Sperm Donation Information

Mom Sues Gay Friend Who Donated Sperm for Child Support

In yet another example of the perils of too-casual sperm donor arrangements, a gay Canadian man who donated sperm to help a medical school friend conceive more than 16 years…

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November 4, 2016

Fertility Law / Fertility Services / Fertility Treatment / Gay Fathers / Health Policy / IFLG / In Vitro Fertilization / Intended Parents / International Surrogacy / LGBT News / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Parents

New Global Health Standards Redefine ‘Infertility’ to Include LGBT Intended Parents

The World Health Organization is about to announce a dramatic change in its definition of infertility, as reported recently in The Telegraph—a change that may increase opportunity for LGBT intended…

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October 28, 2016

American Bar Association / American Fertility Association / Assisted Reproductive Technology / Family Law / Fertility Law / IFLG / LGBT News / Marriage Equality / Reproductive Laws / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Parents / Surrogacy Latest News / Uncategorized

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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October 13, 2016

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Family Law / Fertility Law / Gay Fathers / Intended Parents / LGBT News / Parentage Orders / Rich Vaughn Article / Same Sex Marriage / Same Sex Parents / Surrogacy Latest News

New Law Protects California Intended Parents from Discrimination in Other States

A California bill signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown late last week will provide reassurance and peace of mind to California intended parents, particularly same-sex intended parents, as well…

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September 18, 2016

Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Services / Fertility Treatment / In Vitro Fertilization

Fertility Services for Wounded Vets Mired in Reproductive Politics

After a valiant five-year battle, U.S. Senator Patty Murray succeeded last month in winning Senate approval of an $88 million appropriation over the next two years to pay for fertility treatments…

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June 10, 2016

ART in Popular Culture / Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Services / IFLG / Intended Parents / Surrogacy Latest News

‘Chicago Med’ Gives Surrogacy a Bad Rap

A recent episode of NBC medical drama Chicago Med, (Season 1 Episode 15, “Inheritance”) set in the emergency room of Gaffney Chicago Medical Center, portrayed a scenario that was both…

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May 11, 2016

American Bar Association / Assisted Reproductive Technology / Fertility Law / Fertility Services / Fertility Treatment / IFLG / Rich Vaughn Article

ABA Approves Model Act for Assisted Reproduction Agencies

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…

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April 6, 2016

American Bar Association / Assisted Reproductive Technology / Intended Parents / International Surrogacy / Parentage Orders / Surrogacy Latest News

ABA Recommends Protecting Children’s Citizenship Rights

As more and more intended parents seek to create families via international surrogacy, national governments have been forced to consider their rules for parental recognition and citizenship of the resulting…

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March 31, 2016