Surrogacy360

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 | Finger Lakes Times| 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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