Family Law & Fertility Law Blog | Louisa Ghevaert Associates

Resolution’s Modern Families Forum 2024

Louisa Ghevaert attended Resolution's Modern Families Forum 2024 on 20 June 2024 and had the privilege of meeting Baroness Brenda Hale of Richmond DBE and listening to her keynote address on the legal recognition of “family” from the 1960s to the present day. Lady Hale successfully broke through the glass ceiling and was the first woman President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom from 2017 until her retirement in 2020. In meeting Lady Hale, Louisa was privileged to discuss her legal involvement and the transformational outcome of Whittington Hospital NHS Trust v XX [2020] UKSC 14, which was Lady Hale's last case in the Supreme Court and enabled the recovery of damages for fertility treatment, donor conception and surrogacy following medical negligence.

Fertility Show 2024 London Olympia

Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to attend the Fertility Show at London Olympia over 18 - 19 May 2024, which brought together a range of experts from around the world all committed to improving fertility and healthcare outcomes. The Fertility Show had over 80 exhibitors including fertility clinics, egg and sperm banks, experts in fertility and health checks, genetic testing, nutrition, pregnancy and birth, counsellors and a full schedule of expert speakers and panel discussions to help inform and empower prospective parents about their family building. It also showcased the latest technological advances across the fertility sector.

Gender Dysphoria, Puberty Blockers and Hormone Replacement Therapy: Treatment of A Young Person

Gender dsyphoria can raise challenging issues emotionally, medically and legally when individuals seek to transition from female to male, male to female or assume a non-binary identity. The recent gender dysphoria case involving a young person aged 16 1/2 seeking cross-hormone therapy treatment Re J (Transgender: Puberty Blocker and Hormone Replacement Therapy) [2024] EWHC 922 brings into sharp focus complex and evolving issues around capacity and consent to medical treatment and the extent to which the court should intervene and override consent by an over-16-year-old but under 18-year-old.

Declaration of Parentage: Will This Rectify My Birth Certificate?

Cases involving enquiries about birth/biological parents and decisions to rectify a birth certificate often require a great deal of care and consideration. They can upend established family history and introduce unexpected narratives about unplanned pregnancy, love affairs, failed relationships, adoption, loss and death. They can uncover fertility fraud or even egg, sperm or embryo mix-ups at fertility clinics. They can also create complex issues with genetic relatives and legal family members, intermingled with complex emotional dynamics (shock, anger, shame, grief, fear, rejection, happiness and acceptance).

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