Family Law & Fertility Law Blog | Louisa Ghevaert Associates

International surrogacy law reform: is this achievable?

The Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) is currently looking at the problem of ‘limping legal parentage’ in respect of children internationally, particularly in cases arising from cross-border surrogacy arrangements. Growing demand for surrogacy around the world and a lack of international harmonisation of surrogacy law and policy continues to affect the recognition of surrogate born children’s legal parentage.

Legal aspects of known donor arrangements

There are a wide range of reasons why people to choose to become a known donor or conceive a child through known donation. Friendship, altruism, biological legacy, family narrative, personal situations and previous experiences can be important factors. A known donor arrangement creates a number of complex legal issues, implications and outcomes depending on the method of conception and wider circumstances.

The IVF postcode lottery and law reform

Articles in the Sunday Times and Daily Mail yesterday (9 August 2020) report that fertility treatment policies on the NHS differ from region to region creating an IVF postcode lottery based on relationship status. They report that in some areas of England IVF patients are prevented from obtaining fertility treatment on the NHS unless they can prove they are in a 'stable' relationship. To make matters worse, CCGs define stability differently and this is creating confusion, frustration and distress.

Later life parenthood: a fertility and family law perspective

Latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the number of women over 40 giving birth has risen to record levels in England and Wales. In contrast, fewer than one in 10 women aged between 25 and 30 had a baby last year. This growing trend in later life parenthood is driven by a number of factors and it is likely to intensify as a result of the continued global Covid-19 pandemic. It brings with it a range of complex legal, medical and wider issues.

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