Author: Surrogacy360

State Has Acted to Ensure Couple Can Return From Ukraine with Newborn, Judge Says

Aodhan O’Faolain | Irish Times | April 16, 2021

An Irish couple who traveled to Ukraine to welcome their surrogacy-born son, were not going to be allowed to return home. New travel bans were enacted while they were away, requiring travelers from certain countries to pre-book a quarantine hotel. The couple challenged the government’s failure to ensure their return to Ireland as a breach of their constitutional rights and endangerment of their newborn’s health. High Court Judge Brian O’Moore announced the State would pass regulations to allow the family to return to Ukraine without having to quarantine.

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The Egg Hunt

Katherine Plumhoff | Teen Vogue | April 9, 2021

This article describes the United States’ fertility industry as a commercial market in which egg donors are paid differential amounts based on race, social class, physical traits, and education level. It raises questions about whether targeted marketing may particularly entice low-income college students without providing adequate information about how little is known about the long-term risks. Researcher Dr. Diane Tober suggests increasing information about risks during the informed consent process, ongoing tracking of donor health, and eliminating the burden of the cost of education.

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Georgia, We Have a Problem: Surrogacy and Exploitation

Winifred Badaiki | Impact Ethics | March 26, 2021

Many intended parents seek surrogacy services in the Republic of Georgia because prices are among the cheapest globally. Due to Georgia’s poor economic situation, many Georgian women turn to gestational surrogacy to escape poverty or other precarious situations. However, the country’s lack of surrogacy regulation means surrogates have few if any rights, and the industry often exploits the power dynamic between the low-income carriers and middle-class intended parents.

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Single Fathers Can Now Legally Register a Child Born Through Surrogacy in SA

Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi | Independent Online | March 30, 2021

While South Africa recognizes single women who have children through surrogacy as parents,  registering a surrogacy-born child was not available to single fathers until now. The Makhanda High Court recently instructed that Wesley Hayes, whose daughter Justin was born through surrogacy a year ago, be registered as the official parent. On the birth certificate, he will be listed as the father and, under mother, it will read “not applicable.” Hayes said his case will make it easier for single dads who follow. His story is also highlighted in Gays With Kids.

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New Laws Needed on Surrogacy, Special Rapporteur on Child Protection Says

Noel Baker | Irish Examiner | April 1, 2021

The Irish Special Rapporteur on Child Protection wrote a report calling for comprehensive surrogacy regulations to better serve surrogacy-born children. These recommendations would  address an arena entirely unregulated in Ireland. They call for a pathway to parentage through surrogacy, incentivizing domestic surrogacy arrangements over international ones, and greater rights for children, among other suggestions.

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Children ‘Should Have Right’ to Know Donor Parents From Age of 12

Sheila Wayman | The Irish Times | March 31, 2021

Professor Conor O’Mahony authored a report titled A Review of Children’s Rights and Best Interests in the Context of Donor-Assisted Human Reproduction and Surrogacy in Irish Law. The article focuses specifically on the recommendation that donor-assisted and surrogacy-born children have the right to request and access information about their genetic parents from the age of 12, rather than 18, which is in current law. Mahony recommends these provisions after the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs requested a review of children’s best interests in surrogacy cases.

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LGBTQ and Single Prospective Parents in Illinois Would Have Access to Fertility Benefits that Heterosexual Couples Have Enjoyed For 30 Years, Under Proposed Law: ‘This is an Anti-discrimination Bill’

Nara Schoenberg | Chicago Tribune | April 5, 2021

Illinois state law requires large companies to cover fertility services if they offer pregnancy benefits. However, the requirement also details that couples must first try to conceive for a full year of unprotected sex, which excludes LGBTQ couples and single people. Representative Margaret Croke proposed a bill addressing these inequalities that will be reviewed by the House of Representatives by the end of May.

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Parliamentary Panel Says ART Not Appropriate For Live-in or Same Sex Couples

Bindu Shajan Perappadan | The Hindu | March 20, 2021

In India, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare issued a report recommending that the 2020 version of the Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) Bill exclude unmarried and same-sex couples from use of ART, arguing that would be in the best interest of the children born through those services. The Committee also suggested that the government make IVF more accessible to poor communities by opening ART facilities at every medical institute and premier hospital. The report notes the urgent need for regulation and monitoring to prevent uncontrolled commercialization of the ART industry in India.

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China’s LGBTQ Community Is the Hidden Victim of a Celebrity Surrogacy Scandal

Koh Ewe | Vice | March 19, 2021

This article discusses the interconnectedness of surrogacy and the LGBTQ community in China. After actress Zheng Shuang’s scandal, surrogacy has garnered newfound attention and vehement scrutiny due to illegality in China as well as attention to the rights of women. LGBTQ couples voiced their worries about the negative perceptions of surrogacy impacting their ability to start families and affecting their recent progress towards societal acceptance.

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Poor Legal Regulation Threatens Health of Ukraine’s Egg Donors

Kate Baklitskaya and Magdalena Chodownik | New Eastern Europe | March 15, 2021

This article highlights the need for stricter regulation of surrogacy and egg donation in Ukraine and Poland, underscored by additional risks presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Early travel bans left many newborns stranded in Ukraine, and the current economic decline may be motivating more women to sell their eggs for extra income. However, Ukraine and Poland have not developed legislation to protect egg donors’ safety and privacy.

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