14 April 2021
Surrogacy lawyer Louisa Ghevaert will join a panel of expert speakers and deliver a surrogacy law update at The British Fertility Society’s Creating Modern Families Day 2021. This annual training event, which is part of The BFS’ virtual study week, is aimed at doctors and fertility nurse specialists across the fertility sector. This study day will highlight the complexities of modern families and address the clinical and legal issues, regulatory changes and wider aspects associated with creating modern families through fertility treatment, egg and sperm donation and surrogacy.
The Creating Modern Families Day 2021 offers a varied programme encompassing a broad range of important and topical issues and some frequently encountered issues including: cross-border fertility care, surrogacy, treatment of single women and same-sex female couples, egg and embryo donation, fertility and gender reassignment and the fertility patient perspective.
Dr Jane Grace, Consultant Gynaecologist at Assisted Conception Units at Guy’s Hospital, will look at the reasons for undertaking surrogacy, clinical outcomes for intended parents and surrogates and the importance of a multi-disciplinary team of nurses, clinicians and counsellors.
Louisa Ghevaert’s session will then look at recent trends in family building and surrogacy law and practice during the Covid-19 pandemic. It will address the increasingly complex legal and practical impact of Covid-19 on fertility treatment and surrogacy arrangements and the need for integrated specialist legal advice. It will also cover recent key surrogacy case law developments.
Dr Jane Stewart, Chair of the British Fertility Society and Head of the Newcastle Fertility Centre, will look at a range of issues surrounding egg donation and sharing including: egg donor recruitment, screening and egg-swapping in same-sex female couples and ethical issues and implications of egg and embryo donation for both donors and recipients.
Dr James Barrett, Lead Clinician at Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic and President of the British Association of Gender Identity Specialists, will cover gender dysphoria and fertility treatment. Dr Vasanti Javda from the Centre for Family Research will deliver a session on the psychological well-being of children conceived though gamete donation and surrogacy.
Suzanne Dark, Senior Fertility Counsellor at Jessop Fertility Clinic will address the role of counselling in the creation of modern families through donation and surrogacy. Lawyer James Lawford-Davies will look at regulation and legal aspects of using donor gametes. Rachel Cutting MBE, Principal Embryologist and Person Responsible at Jessop Fertility Clinic will look at cross-border fertility care and best practice.
For more information about the British Fertility Society’s Virtual Study Week 2021 and its Creating Modern Families Day module click here.
Need a surrogacy lawyer or a fertility lawyer? If you would like to discuss your situation or you require specialist fertility, surrogacy and family law advice and assistance please contact Louisa by email louisa@louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk or by telephone +44 (0)20 7965 8399.
