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01
Sep
2025

Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month 2025: The Impact on Fertility

September is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month, and it is designed to raise awareness about the symptoms, treatments and struggles associated with the diagnoses of five types of cancers. These are cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal and vulval cancer. Gynaecological cancer can be life altering, or life threatening in serious cases, and so drawing attention to the symptoms and available screening can increase the chances of an early detection. These diagnoses do not just affect women, but also anyone assigned female at birth who identifies differently, including trans men and non-binary people, as well as some intersex people who have female reproductive organs.

29
Aug
2025

Blog, Declaration of Parentage, Legal Parentage

Declaration of Parentage: When Might This Be Relevant?

A Declaration of Parentage declares whether a named person is or is not the legal or biological parent of another person under English law. It can clarify and confirm parentage or alternatively, it can declare the removal of parentage for English legal purposes. Recently, there have been several cases involving Declarations of Parentage following legal disputes after unregulated sperm donation involving serial sperm donor Joe Donor, rushed licensed sperm donation and disputed co-parenting arrangements as well as disputes about whether a child was conceived naturally or by assisted conception. Added to this, applications for a Declaration of Parentage can be relevant when people seek to correct or re-register a birth certificate for a variety of reasons.

13
Aug
2025

Blog, Modern Family Law, News, Parenting Law

National Rainbow Baby Day 2025

This year National Rainbow Baby Day takes place on 22 August 2025. A ‘Rainbow Baby’ is a child born after a family loses a baby and this special child is often seen a symbol of new hope for a family that has experienced such traumatic loss. Established in 2018, National Rainbow Baby Day honours those babies lost to stillbirth, miscarriage, complications during pregnancy or following birth, all the while celebrating the Rainbow Babies who bring such joy to the lives of their family and parents. National Rainbow Baby Day is an opportunity for families to reflect on their children, those who are with them physically, and those who will forever be with them in spirit.

12
Aug
2025

Blog, Declaration of Parentage, Donor conception law, Legal Parentage, Modern Family Law, Parental Responsibility Law, Parenting Law

The Risks of Unregulated Sperm Donation: Serial Sperm Donor Joe Donor

The recent case of Re CA and Ors (Children of Unregulated Sperm Donor) [2025] EWFC 130 brings into focus the threats posed by unregulated sperm donation, specifically at the hand of serial sperm donor known as ‘Joe Donor’. In this case, Mr Justice Poole determines whether ‘Joe Donor’ – officially named Robert Albon – has any rights to a Declaration of Parentage, a Parental Responsibility Order and a Child Arrangements Order for two of the possible 180 children he has fathered. The case also brings to light the vulnerabilities of the two children’s mothers and raises concerns about exploitation and abuse that can accompany informal sperm donation, and what this means for the best interests of the children involved.

06
Aug
2025

Blog, Declaration of Parentage, Donor conception law, Fertility Law, Legal Parentage, Modern Family Law, Parental Responsibility Law, Parenting Law

F v J & Others [2024] and the Pitfalls of Mismatched Expectations, Rushed Known Sperm Donation and Co-Parenting Arrangements

F v J & Others [2024[ EWHC 2802 (Fam) is a case which deals with the realities and challenges of co-parenting and highlights the complexities of known sperm donation - how it should be approached with great care and proactive management of the legal aspects which underpin these family building arrangements. Specifically, it raises issues of legal parentage in the context of known sperm donation and assisted reproduction, and what can happen when this process is rushed or hurried. Additionally, this case raises concerns around communication in co-parenting relationships, and stresses the importance of the stability of those relationships, both for the benefit of the parents, and for the wellbeing of the child.

05
Aug
2025

Blog, Modern Family Law, Surrogacy Law

National Surrogacy Week 2025

National Surrogacy Week takes place in the UK from 1 - 7 August 2025. Its aim is to raise awareness and understanding about surrogacy. It's also a time to highlight the positive impact of surrogacy, to support open, honest and positive communication and promote ethical practices and policies for professionals and families created through surrogacy. Similarly, it is a time to celebrate the medical advancements which enable parents to create their families through fertility treatment and surrogacy and reflect on just how far surrogacy in the UK has come since the landmark ‘Baby Cotton’ case in 1985. This rise in the popularity of surrogacy also reflects the recognition of surrogacy as a mainstream family building option for prospective parents, and the willingness of the surrogates themselves to help others have much wanted children.

04
Aug
2025

Blog, Modern Family Law, Parenting Law

World Breastfeeding Week 2025

Every year, more than one hundred and twenty countries worldwide come together to recognise World Breastfeeding Week, which this year runs from 1 - 7 August 2025. It seeks to foster an environment which uplifts and empowers women, parents and families and provides them with help and supportive environments along their parenting journey. World Breastfeeding Week is more than a celebration, it is also a time of education. Knowledge and awareness surrounding breastfeeding helps equip new parents with accurate information about nutrition, health and well-being so they can make informed decisions about their baby's development through early childhood. This information includes the understanding that breastfeeding, for all its benefits, isn’t always possible or necessary and that parents can also successfully bottle feed using formula. As such, World Breastfeeding Week is there to support everyone including those who, for reasons in or out of their control, are unable to breastfeed.

25
Jul
2025

Blog, Donor conception law, Legal Parentage, Modern Family Law, Parental Responsibility Law, Parenting Law

A Cautionary Tale About Informal Sperm Donation: P v Q & F (Child: Legal Parentage) [2024]

The 2024 cases P v Q and Others [2024] EWFC and of P v Q and F (Child: Legal Parentage) [2024] 85 EWCA Civ 878 highlight a series of complex legal issues related to parenthood, parental responsibility and birth registration for lesbian families conceiving with donor sperm. It involved an intricate legal dispute about the child’s legal parentage and the circumstances of a privately arranged conception; specifically whether it took place by artificial insemination or natural conception, that reached the Court of Appeal. It brings into focus the challenges of donor conception outside of a fertility clinic and ensuing difficulties navigating legal proceedings for a Declaration of Parentage in light of entangled disputes after a relationship breakdown.

09
Jul
2025

Blog, Louisa Ghevaert, News

Louisa Ghevaert: 25 Years In Law

2025 marks my 25th year in law as a qualified solicitor in England and Wales. As such, it felt important to mark the occasion since life is precious and passes by so quickly. Successful family life is a personal aspiration and central focus for many people. Families are an important pillar of society too. Yet despite this, building and maintaining happy, healthy and well-functioning personal and family lives can be difficult to achieve given the often uncertain and complex world around us. Over the last 25 years, it has therefore been an absolute privilege to draw alongside so many parents, children and families and I remain ever mindful of people’s continuing trust and faith in me to help them navigate life’s sunshine, storms and choppy waters.

09
Jul
2025

Blog, Louisa Ghevaert, News

Women In Change Awards 2025

Louisa Ghevaert spent a memorable evening at Women In Change Awards 2025 in London on 3 July 2025 celebrating the transformative achievements of women from all walks of life. Women In Change is a community of female change-makers driving positive impact on a one-to-one basis, through organisations and on a global scale. This year's powerful women finalists and leaders demonstrated leadership, positive change and social impact that has helped make the world we all live in a better place. It was astounding to hear their success stories from delivering 11,000 ventilators during the Covid-19 pandemic, to saving 32 billion litres of water and counting, to changing the face of cancer care.

23
Jun
2025

Blog, Legal Parentage, Louisa Ghevaert, Modern Family Law, News, Parental Responsibility Law, Parenting Law

Modern Families Forum 2025

On 19 June 2025, Louisa Ghevaert had the pleasure of attending Resolution's Modern Families Forum 2025 in London. Lord Justice Peter Jackson delivered an illuminating keynote address on legal parentage and the challenges this can present for families when the circumstances of a child’s conception, parentage and parental responsibility fall into dispute. This was followed by a modern family law case update and sessions which grappled with the technicalities of who has or doesn’t have parentage and parental responsibility in law. It served as a reminder that modern family and assisted conception law continues to evolve rapidly and that it can create all sorts of tricky issues when people build or restructure families and parental status and rights are disputed.

23
May
2025

Blog, Genomics, News

DNA Testing Firm 23andMe Avoids Bankruptcy With $256m Sale: What Happens To My Genetic Data?

DNA testing firm 23andMe avoids bankruptcy with an announcement on 19 May 2025 that it will be bought by US biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for $256 million (approximately £192 million). Regeneron Pharmaceuticals plans to operate 23andMe and continue all consumer genome services as a wholly-owned company subsidiary. This follows news reports on 23 March 2025 that 23andMe had petitioned for bankruptcy following financial difficulties and data privacy concerns after a cyber hack in 2023 which affected personal data of 7 million users. However, this continues to raise questions for 15 million users worldwide about what will happen to their genetic information?

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