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21
Apr
2023

Blog, Fertility Law, International Surrogacy Law, Louisa Ghevaert, Modern Family Law, News, Surrogacy Law

The Surrogacy Network: UK Surrogacy Law Reform 2023

I was delighted to attend The Surrogacy Network on 20 April 2023 to hear from The Law Commission on their proposals for surrogacy law reform in the UK. They propose a new pathway to legal parenthood for domestic surrogacy arrangements, to enable intended parents to become the surrogate born child’s legal parents at birth, subject to eligibility conditions. It stimulated wide ranging questions and debate on the future practice of surrogacy and how to improve the pathway to parenthood for parents, children and families.

30
Mar
2023

Blog, International Surrogacy Law, Louisa Ghevaert, News, Surrogacy Law

Building Families Through Surrogacy: Law Reform

On 29 March 2023, the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission published their long awaited final recommendations to reform surrogacy law in the UK, together with draft legislation. In doing so, they recommend a new system to govern surrogacy and improve surrogacy law in the UK for children, surrogates and intended parents. The UK Government must now review and consider whether to implement these recommendations.

16
Mar
2023

Assisted Reproduction Law, Blog, Embryo Law, Fertility Law, Genomics, Louisa Ghevaert, News

The Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing

Louisa Ghevaert attended the Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing held at the Francis Crick Institute in London from 6 - 8 March 2023. The Summit was arranged by the UK Royal Society, UK Academy of Medical Sciences, US National Academies of Sciences and Medicine and the World Academy of Sciences. Its aim was to address the progress, benefits and challenges in research, regulation and equitable development of human genome editing technologies and therapies.

14
Mar
2023

Blog, Declaration of Parentage, Legal Parentage, Modern Family Law, Parenting Law

Declaration of Parentage Applications: The Significance of Legal and Biological Parenthood

The Family Court has heard a number of applications for a Declaration of Parentage recently. In November 2022, it determined an application by Amy Boudewijn for a Declaration that the late Errol Washington Johnson was her biological father. In February 2022, the Family Court also heard an application for a Declaration of Parentage where the status of legal parenthood was in doubt due to administrative errors made by clinic staff during fertility treatment.

03
Mar
2023

Blog, International Surrogacy Law, Modern Family Law, Surrogacy Law

UK Adoption Order granted to a single non-biological mother for a child born through a Californian surrogacy arrangement

The recent family law case of J v K (Adoption) [2021] EWFC 115 determined the legal parentage of a single non-biological mother for a child born through a Californian surrogacy arrangement. The legal proceedings concerned an application by a solo mother (Ms J) for an adoption order under English law for her US born surrogate child.

09
Feb
2023

Blog, Modern Family Law

A Conversation with Eloise Edington Founder of The Ribbon Box

This week Louisa Ghevaert caught up with Eloise Edington, Founder and CEO of The Ribbon Box (formerly Fertility Help Hub). If you're planning to build your family through fertility treatment or looking to find out more about wellbeing, preconception, pregnancy, and inclusive parenting it's worth reading on to learn more about the The Ribbon Box community.

02
Feb
2023

Blog, Louisa Ghevaert

A Conversation with Fertility Coach Sarah Banks

This week Louisa Ghevaert caught up with Sarah Banks to explore the benefits of fertility coaching to support patients through fertility treatment. If you’re hoping to undergo fertility treatment right now or planning to in the future or know someone that is, it’s worth reading on to learn more about the merits of fertility coaching.

27
Jan
2023

Blog, Donor conception law, Embryo Law, Fertility Law, International Surrogacy Law, Modern Family Law, Parenting Law, Posthumous Conception Law, Surrogacy Law

Assisted Conception & Family Building in 2023

The start of 2023 provides renewed opportunity to reflect on future goals, personal relationships and family plans. The decision to have a child is a big step and the journey to parenthood can be long and complex, especially when it involves assisted conception. Furthermore, fertility treatment does not guarantee conception or delivery of a much-wanted child, with reducing prospects of success due to age-related fertility decline. This makes it important to plan ahead, make informed decisions and put together a viable action plan.

16
Dec
2022

Blog, Donor conception law, Embryo Law, Fertility Law, Louisa Ghevaert, Modern Family Law, News, Parenting Law

Making Fertility Treatment Fair: Equality in Access, Equality in Outcome

Progress Educational Trust’s third virtual annual conference took place on 7 December 2022 entitled “Making Fertility Treatment Fair: Equality in Access, Equality in Outcome?”. Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to attend the event and join the debate addressing global reproductive issues and access to fertility care. Overall, Progress Educational Trust’s 2022 AGM shone an illuminating light on the wide-ranging and complex challenges which continue to impact access to health and fertility care, underpin gender and racial inequities and undermine successful outcomes.

05
Dec
2022

Blog, Fertility Law, International Surrogacy Law, Surrogacy Law

Developments in International Surrogacy Law and Practice

The international surrogacy landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with recent developments across Russia, Ukraine and in relation to legal recognition across the world. Russia’s war in Ukraine, increasing Russian nationalism and international policymakers’ ongoing efforts to legally recognise the parentage of surrogate born children across borders illustrates the complex and fast moving legal and political arena and continued need for expert navigation of international surrogacy arrangements.

30
Nov
2022

Blog, Donor conception law, Embryo Law, Modern Family Law

Latest UK Trends in Egg, Sperm and Embryo Donation

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has just released its latest report on donation and donor treatments in the UK fertility sector in 2020. It reports a growing trend in donor conception in the UK, with the numbers of donor conceived children more than tripling between 2006 and 2019. However, demand for gamete donation continues to outstrip the availability of donor eggs and sperm in the UK, resulting in more than half of new sperm donors registered in the UK in 2020 donating in the USA or Denmark. There also continues to be underrepresentation of ethnic minority donors in the UK.

18
Nov
2022

Blog, Fertility Law, Modern Family Law

Global Decline in Sperm Counts: Do I Need To Be Concerned?

New research findings have just been published in Human Reproduction Update by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Icahn School of Medicine in New York which show that global sperm counts have halved over the last fifty years. In addition, the researchers found that declining sperm counts are accelerating across the world creating a fertility crisis akin to a ticking time bomb. As such, this decrease in male fertility represents a serious public health problem that requires focused responses by governments to recognise and safeguard male reproductive health for the future.

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