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24
May
2024

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.

17
May
2024

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.

13
May
2024

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).

20
Apr
2024

Mary Warnock at 100: The Architect of Embryo Law

Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to attend Progress Educational Trust's event on 17 April 2024 "Mary Warnock at 100: The Architect of Embryo Law". This event looked at the continued influence of Baroness Mary Warnock DBE, one of our most significant twentieth century philosophers, in the field of fertility. Mary died age 94 in 2019. However, her work on bioethics and her legacy lives on having fundamentally shaped law, policy and practice for assisted reproductive technology in the UK and around the world.

25
Mar
2024

FemTech Lab Spring 2024 Connect

Louisa Ghevaert had the pleasure of attending FemTech Lab’s Spring ‘24 Connect event at 22 Bishopsgate venue in London on 14 March 2024. It brought together creative minds, leaders, experts and entrepreneurs from across the digital and female health and consumer spaces. Its mission is to foster vision, inspiration, change, solutions and impact across the women’s health and technology sectors. This resonates in many ways in terms of building a better and brighter future and movement to address the gender health data gap, build trust and provide solutions and not just diagnostics at all stages of women’s lives.

22
Mar
2024

Welfare of the Fertility Patient: Spotting and Treating Trauma

On 13 March 2023, Louisa Ghevaert was pleased to attend Progress Educational Trust's event "Welfare of the Fertility Patient: Spotting Signs and Treatment after Trauma". This raised awareness of the importance of considering the welfare of fertility patients and not just the welfare of the child. At present, there is nothing in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended) which explicitly states that the welfare of patients should be considered.

01
Mar
2024

Fertility Treatment & Surrogacy In The Workplace

Louisa Ghevaert had the pleasure of networking with colleagues and professionals at The Surrogacy Network’s latest event in London on Thursday 29 February 2024. The focus of the meeting was "Embracing Surrogacy in the Workplace" with a really insightful presentation from Claire Ingle from Fertility Matters at Work. There is currently no statutory right to time off work for appointments for fertility treatment. Legal protection only applies from the point at which a person has an embryo implanted and they are classed as pregnant.

13
Feb
2024

Surrogacy: What Do Midwives Need To Know?

Louisa Ghevaert is delighted to join a panel of speakers on a webinar hosted by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) on 22 February 2024 entitled "Surrogacy: What Do Midwives Need To Know?". Louisa's session will help ensure midwives are aware of the current legal framework around surrogacy in the UK, and proposed legal changes, to enable them to provide appropriate care and support. The webinar will also provide extensive lived experiences of surrogates and intended parents within maternity services with sessions from Sarah Jones from Surrogacy UK and Michael and Wes Johnson-Ellis from My Surrogacy Journey.

08
Feb
2024

IVF Add-Ons: How Should We Score the HFEA’s New Ratings System?

On 7 February 2024 Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to attend Progress Educational Trust's informative event on the HFEA's new IVF 'Add-Ons' ratings system. It looked at the development, understanding, evidence and use of IVF 'Add-Ons'. It also celebrated 25 years of publishing BioNews, an online newsletter publishing news on the science, law and ethics of human genetics, assisted conception, and related topics.

13
Jan
2024

Declining Global Fertility Rates: A Growing Problem

The global decline in fertility rates needs to be addressed according to an International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS) consensus paper published in Human Reproduction Update on 10 January 2024. It reports that half the countries around the world have a fertility rate below population replacement level. It goes on to predict that many countries will experience population decline of more than 50 percent between 2017 and 2100, leading to serious demographic changes and implications for societies around the world. As such, there needs to be greater focus on the human right to have a family, family-friendly policies and better access to fertility care.

04
Jan
2024

Posthumous Conception Law: Should I Consider This?

Individual fertility is precious and fragile, making it worthy of protection in life and after death. A person's individual fertility enables the conception of a biological child. However, their fertility is impacted by age, health, declining fertility rates, personal circumstances, unexpected accident and death. The death of a loved one can be devastating for surviving partners, spouses and relatives. It can also create complex issues in seeking to fulfill a deceased loved one’s family building wishes and preserve their biological and genetic legacy. As such, it is important to proactively consider and actively protect individual fertility and biological legacy and not leave this to chance.

29
Dec
2023

Declaration Of Parentage: Will This Resolve My Personal Identity, Legal And Biological Parenthood?

Questions about personal identity, legal and biological parenthood and birth certificates can arise in different ways and create all sorts of complex issues. In some cases, they can come about because of personal searches and histories involving absent parents, adoption and donor conception. For others, unexpected discoveries and issues can arise following a direct-to-consumer DNA test, death of a relative, conversation with a family member, an encounter with a genetic relative or an application for a new birth certificate or passport. This can in turn necessitate a court application for a Declaration of Parentage.

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