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10
Aug
2022

Changing Face of Family Life and Fertility in England and Wales in 2022

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) give important insight into the changing face of family life and fertility in England and Wales. They show that for the first time last year (2021), more babies were born outside of marriage in England and Wales than within marriage. They also show long-term trends in decreasing live births and increasing later-life parenthood as more people delay having children to focus on their careers. These trends indicate growing acceptance of non-traditional family building and family forms in England and Wales.

05
Aug
2022

Later-life parenthood: what do I need to consider?

Women and men are increasingly delaying having children in their twenties and thirties, choosing instead to focus on their jobs and careers, becoming a homeowner and building a more stable economic position. In addition, increasing acceptance of non-traditional family forms and growing numbers of people choosing to become parents in second-time relationships are driving trends in later-life parenthood. As a result, more people are turning to fertility treatment, donor conception and surrogacy to overcome issues associated with age-related fertility decline and advancing age. Demand for fertility treatment is further fuelled by increasing awareness that a woman’s fertility is finite, typically showing significant falls in fertility levels and successful birth outcomes as from age 35.

03
Aug
2022

Understanding of Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research in the UK in 2022

To mark its 30th anniversary in 2022, the Progress Educational Trust (“PET”) commissioned important research, supported by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, to gauge public awareness about fertility, genomics and embryo research in the UK. Ipsos carried out a nationally representative online survey of 2,233 UK adults on PET’s behalf between 24 - 27 March 2022. The results matter because they provide a snapshot of current public understanding and opinion about issues impacting the fertility sector and rapid advances in the field of genomics to combat genetic diseases. These research findings are also significant because they come at a time when law reform is expected in these key areas in the UK.

22
Jul
2022

Women’s Health Strategy for England Marks a Step Forward

On average, women in the UK live longer than men, but they spend a significantly greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability compared with men. On Wednesday 20 July 2022, the government therefore published its first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England. This is a much needed step forward to address the gender healthcare gap, recognising there has been a male orientated approach up until now in research and clinical trials, education and training for healthcare professionals as well as in the creation and delivery of healthcare policies and services.

19
Jul
2022

Declaration of parentage: the importance of identity, status and birth certificates

In X v Y [2022] EWFC 77, the applicant applied to the English Family Court for a declaration of parentage following a 35-year search for her biological father to resolve issues relating to her identity and her birth certificate. In granting the application, the court navigated complex legal issues and drew inferences from the respondent’s refusal to undergo DNA testing and lack of opposition to the application. As such, X v Y [2022] EWFC 77 brings into close focus the importance of identity, status and parentage and the re-registration of birth certificates to provide properly maintained records not just for the benefit of individuals but for the public as well.

19
Jul
2022

Conceiving with Donor Sperm: What Could Go Wrong?

Demand for donor sperm has increased in recent years. This has been driven by growing numbers of single women and same-sex couples undergoing assisted conception. Added to this, male sub-fertility and infertility rates now stand at around 10 – 15 percent. Furthermore, there has been a shortage of sperm donors in the UK for many years. As such, increased demand together with the time, commitment and costs of undergoing licensed fertility treatment with donor sperm is leading to growing numbers of women looking for a sperm donor online.

11
Jul
2022

Trends in fertility treatment in 2022

Recent statistics published by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (‘HFEA’) in May 2022 brings into focus (1) the delay that many fertility patients continue to experience in starting treatment, (2) the decrease in egg and sperm donations in the UK during the pandemic and (3) the need for an overhaul and increased resources to help tackle the serious delays women face accessing gynaecology services in the UK. Moreover, recent news that the human genome can now be sequenced for as little as $100.00 creates new opportunities and challenges for fertility treatment delivery and will require a paradigm shift in our thinking, leadership and approach to law, policy and regulation.

28
Jun
2022

US Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade: what does this mean for reproductive rights and freedoms?

On Friday 24 June 2022, the US Supreme Court delivered its retrograde decision in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health, overturning the 50-year-old precedent (Roe v Wade 1973) which established abortion rights in the US. This decision matters because it marks a serious step backwards for rights to choose pregnancy and motherhood and bodily autonomy for millions of US women. This legal ruling also matters from a wider reproductive, medical, scientific, economic, health and social care perspective. It creates uncertainty about the future of assisted reproductive technologies (‘ART’) including fertility preservation, IVF and surrogacy in some US states.

24
Jun
2022

Progress Educational Trust’s 30th Birthday Party

Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to attend Progress Educational Trust's 30th birthday party at The Royal Society of Medicine in London on Wednesday 22 June 2022. PET's 30th birthday party, which was sponsored by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, was very well attended by a community of leading experts and supporters from across the fertility, medical, scientific, academic and legal sectors. Speeches were delivered by Baroness Ruth Deech DBE and PET Trustee Professor Robin Lovell-Badge CBE. As part of its 30th birthday programme, PET Director Sarah Norcross also announced the publication of an illuminating wide-ranging nationwide Ipsos study measuring public opinion and understanding about fertility, genomics and embryo research.

20
Jun
2022

Egg, sperm and embryo freezing: what could go wrong?

Egg, sperm and embryo freezing can help preserve and maximise individual fertility. However, it is not a failsafe way to guarantee conception and delivery of a much-wanted baby. There are a variety of practical and legal issues to consider. Not freezing gametes and embryos at all, delaying collection and freezing and failing to build up sufficient reserves of frozen eggs, sperm and embryos can undermine your chances of successful family building. Failing to consider the legal aspects which govern the storage and use of frozen eggs, sperm and embryos in fertility treatment can also create unwanted problems and even prevent their use in treatment.

15
Jun
2022

DNA testing, parentage disputes and the law

DNA testing can create unexpected issues and outcomes that have a far wider impact on people’s lives than they ever imagined. They can include unforeseen discoveries about conception, maternity and paternity, unknown siblings and relatives. They can also uncover family secrets and stories of loss and infidelity, as well as IVF mix-ups, fertility fraud, donor conception and adoption that can upend the lives of individuals and families. In turn, these discoveries can result in complex legal disputes about parentage, birth certificates, contact and upbringing of a child, child maintenance and inheritance, negligence as well as evolving issues about the use of personal genetic information. Given the rapidly evolving landscape associated with DNA testing, it is important to obtain specialist legal advice to identify, manage and resolve the complex and far-reaching legal and practical issues and outcomes.

08
Jun
2022

Declaration of parentage: confirming family ancestry and biological parentage following adoption

The recent family law case of Ms L; Ms M (Declaration of Parentage) [2022] EWFC 38 determined fundamental questions about ‘who is my parent?’. The legal proceedings concerned applications by two women who had been adopted as babies and whether decades later they could obtain declarations of parentage to resolve their family ancestry, confirm the identities of their biological fathers and rectify their original birth certificates to add the name of their birth father. In making these applications, the two women gave compelling evidence about the importance of obtaining declarations of parentage notwithstanding being adopted to resolve their personal identities and lineage, aid their long-term psychological welfare and acquire dual citizenship.

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