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Archive for the ‘same sex parenting’ Category
Monday, March 4th, 2013
In Australia, commercial surrogacy is illegal. The ban has resulted in a steady flow of heterosexual and gay Australians to India, where the unregulated fertility industry produces hundreds of surrogate babies for Australians each year.
But India’s rules changed just before Christmas, excluding singles and gay and de facto heterosexual couples from commissioning surrogate babies.
Australians now require medical visas and the Indian government is precise about who they will issue them to – heterosexual couples who have been married for at least two years.
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Tags: fatherhood, Gay Parenting, Men having babies, single father, surrogacy, trying to conceive
Posted in Families of Choice, LGBT, fertility, gay surrogacy, same sex parenting, third party reproduction | No Comments »
Monday, February 18th, 2013
A new government regulation has left 28-year-old Sunita Devi worried about the future of the baby she is carrying. Devi, who is already showing at five months, is a surrogate mother carrying the child of a single Canadian man. Wearing a yellow shalwar suit and a long, well-oiled braid, Devi is visibly upset as she talks about a memo that India’s Home Ministry circulated late last year to Indian missions abroad, stipulating that gay couples, single men and women, nonmarried couples and couples from countries where surrogacy is illegal be prohibited from hiring a commercial surrogate in India. As of an unspecified date, foreigners who want to hire a surrogate must be a “man and woman,” the new rule says, “[who] are duly married and the marriage should be sustained at least two years.” Now Devi is worried that the child she is carrying may not be able to be handed over to its Canadian father. “I will be carrying this baby for nine months,” she says. “But what if after I give birth, it doesn’t get a home?”
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Tags: fatherhood, Gay Parenting, infertility, intended father, Men having babies, surrogacy, surrogate fathers, trying to conceive
Posted in Families of Choice, The Surrogacy SOURCE, gay surrogacy, same sex parenting, surrogacy, third party reproduction | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2013
Changes to India’s surrogacy laws making it mandatory for people seeking surrogate mothers to be married have prompted surrogacy advocates back home to call for changes to allow commercial surrogacy in Australia.
The Indian Government has decreed that only couples who have been married for more than two years can enter into commercial surrogacy arrangements, and only if it is legal in their home country.
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Tags: Gay Parenting, Men having babies, single father, surrogacy, surrogate agency, third party reproduction, trying to conceive
Posted in Families of Choice, LGBT, Surrogate Mother, gay surrogacy, same sex parenting, surrogacy, third party reproduction | No Comments »
Friday, January 4th, 2013
Opponents to gay marriage in Washington state are launching another fight; this time to tamp down on gay couples’ ability to have children.
An effort to introduce paid surrogacy is being considered in the legislature for 2013. The proposed law would overturn current policy that restricts compensation for surrogates only to the direct costs of pregnancy, delivery, and for legal bills.
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Tags: Gay Parenting, LGBT parenting, Men having babies, Surrogate Mother, trying to conceive
Posted in Families of Choice, General, LGBT, gay surrogacy, same sex parenting, surrogacy | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 25th, 2012
The portrayal of gay families and surrogates is a touchy issue. While gay families definitely aren’t new, the discussion and portrayal of them in mainstream media is just starting to hit its stride. As with any budding forum, the fewer the voices the louder each one of them rings and the more clout they hold. So it’s understandable that those that are living embodiments of the subject matter would have some strong opinions about how gracefully the discussion is starting to take shape.
I came across this article on OUT.com entitled: “What’s Wrong with the New Normal.” While it had a couple of biting lines, including a call for “less kitsch and more class,” I thought it was well thought out, held space for other’s opinions, referenced the author’s ownership over a singular opinion (that seemed to come from the heart), and was generally… well… classy. The tone of the article also seemed to offer structure for those commenting to respond with their opinions in a similar way. The comments were overwhelmingly respectful and held a, “I get that/don’t get that, but here’s what I think” vibe. I thought this article and the comments to it were great examples of how we can hold thoughtful safe space for each other, even when the other holds a point of fervent disagreement.
So what are YOUR thoughts on how accurately the “New Normal” portrays the “new normal”?
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Traci Medeiros-Bagan
FSC|Third Party Reproduction LGBT Coordinator
As an ardent musical fan who was sorely disappointed with the pilot episode of Glee but over time fell in love with how the show created serious discussion space that was simultaneously colorful, campy, and courageous, Traci is holding out that the kitsch of The New Normal may pull you in but that the heartfelt class is on its way.
Tags: LGBT parenting, Out magazine, Out.com, Portrayal of Gay Families, surrogacy, The New Normal
Posted in Affirming Care, Families of Choice, Fertility SOURCE companies, General, LGBT, The Surrogacy SOURCE, assisted conception, gay surrogacy, parenthood, same sex parenting, surrogacy, third party reproduction | No Comments »
Sunday, June 17th, 2012
By MARCUS MABRY
http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/
Happy Father’s Day
A series of posts honoring everything Dad.
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I’m in my mid-40s. Growing up, there was no such thing as gay parenting. I had a vague notion, I think, probably from television or a movie, that some kids’ fathers or mothers could end up running off with someone of the same sex. So, technically, they were a parent and they were gay – but it was a roundabout, devastating way to do it, kind of like demolishing a building by using a hurricane. It gets the job done but you wouldn’t want to see it.
When I finally accepted in my 20s that I was gay and that in order to live a life true to myself I had to come out, I knew there were “risks.” When my mother let loose a stream of consciousness list of fears that the world would visit on me for being openly gay – including never finding happiness, or being bashed coming out of a bar with my lover – the one she settled on was “…and you always wanted to be a father.”
It was the thing that broke my heart: the feeling that by coming out, I was giving up the one thing I had always wanted since I was a kid – more than any profession or any pursuit – being a dad.
I didn’t have a choice, of course. Most gay men of my generation came out when we simply could not stand the lying or daily self-denial any longer. Still, I mourned for myself and for the children I would never have.
Even as an adult, even having come to terms with my sexuality, even having decided – after much searching, and periods of being an atheist and an agnostic – that God had made me as I am, somewhere I still felt that being denied fatherhood was punishment for being gay.
Then came the revolution. Scientific advances outraced laws (and conservatives’ imaginations), and surrogacy provided a route to parenthood that was unthinkable when my generation of gay men was picturing our futures. Even in deep red states where adoption by lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgendered people can be impossible, surrogacy is usually unregulated and often practiced.
When I turned 40 I decided it was time. By then surrogacy was so en vogue among those who could afford it – gay and straight alike – that I knew that was the route I wanted to take. My partner wanted to have children, too, but he was younger than I was and he had not decided at that point, as I had, that he would have children, no matter what.
We also differed over the primacy of having a family. As he put it, he did not feel that his life would be incomplete without children. I did. What would a well-off gay couple have to show at the end of a life spent together: photos of the various exotic trips they had taken? This is us at the pyramids. This is us at Angkor Wat. This is us in Patagonia. This is us in Paris.
A series of travelogues as proof of a life well-lived.
Of course, career, philanthropy, extended family, working to improve the world can all be immensely gratifying pursuits, but – for me – I believed that building a family and leaving children as a legacy would be my best-lived life. And even though he didn’t think it a necessity, my partner was thrilled, if filled with trepidation, about trying surrogacy.
After our first gestational surrogate miscarried in the first trimester, we went on to have an ideal surrogacy experience. Our surrogate became our friend and finally family. She had a nearly flawless pregnancy. And our boys are the best part of our lives. They are our little miracles.
Every time I look at them I understand that far from being cursed, being a little gay boy was a blessing. It taught me compassion. It taught me how to rise above fear and self-hatred. It made me stronger.
Today, I feel well and truly blessed.
My partner and I have all those travelogue snap shots from before we had kids. We’ll be revisiting all those places and taking new pictures again, with our sons.
Tags: being gay and being a dad, fatherhood, fathers day, gay, gay surrogacy, parenthood, surrogacy, The Surrogacy SOURCE
Posted in The Surrogacy SOURCE, gay surrogacy, same sex parenting, surrogacy | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
The Second European Conference on LGBT Families welcomes almost 1000 people from 23 different European countries.
Irvine, California – May 31, 2012—Fertility SOURCE Companies’ (The Donor SOURCE and The Surrogacy SOURCE) International Development Liaison, Jamie Williams was in attendance at the groundbreaking Second European Meeting of LGBT Families in Barcelona, Spain alongside families and industry experts from over 20 countries. The conference featured an elaborate agenda, covering a wide ranging selection of topics from real-world parenting experiences to international legal issues and civil rights and social equality for the LGBT community.
Among the event highlights was the surrogacy seminar on ‘European Men Having Babies’. There has been an increasing desire to become parents among gay European couples. However, resources about the topic are often difficult, and sometimes impossible, to find. Since 2005, The ‘Men Having Babies’ seminar has helped hundreds of men navigate the complicated road to parenting through surrogacy.
“Fertility SOURCE Companies was excited to participate in the ‘Men having Babies’ conference as we realize there is a growing need to help both the International and LGBT communities understand the sometimes overwhelming pathway to parenthood. Our surrogacy staff who themselves have been surrogates, stand ready to help with cycle coordination, making the process go as smoothly as possible. Our egg donation staff of seasoned case managers, including a certified IVF nurse practitioner are always at hand, going the extra mile to ensure their intended parents are cared for with the utmost compassion and skill. Fertility SOURCE Companies has many contacts for needed referrals to attorneys, fertility centers and psychologists that are experienced and welcome the opportunity to work with both the International and LGBT communities.” Says Donna Raidy, COO and Director of Egg Donor Case Management
As one of the largest egg donor and surrogacy agencies in the United States, Fertility SOURCE Companies has many unique benefits to offer intended parents of the international community. The international team includes Jamie Williams, International Development Liaison, Tricia Turner, Manager of Surrogacy Case Management, and Donna Raidy, COO and Director of Egg Donation Case Management. Each team member has extensive experience in the field, contacts within the industry and access to top-notch candidates to be egg donors and surrogates. Any major concerns ranging from dual citizenship to travel arrangements, to finding a translator or a qualified legal representative can be addressed quickly and efficiently.
The legal process for international surrogacy and egg donation is often more complex for hopeful parents of the LGBT community. Fertility SOURCE Companies offers exceptional resources and support for LGBT individuals and couples interested in third party reproduction in the US. The United States is often a top destination for international third party reproduction because of friendly fertility laws, highly regulated medical care, favorable exchange rate, and a safe and easy return home.
About Fertility SOURCE Companies:
Fertility SOURCE Companies (The Donor SOURCE and The Surrogacy SOURCE) has served the third party reproduction needs of the fertility community for over eight years. Its clients are able to choose from one of the most comprehensive egg donor and surrogacy databases in the country, containing over 1400 available egg donors as well as over 20 gestational carriers from all parts of the country. Each of Fertility SOURCE Companies egg donors and surrogates are personally met, carefully screened and counseled, and ready to be matched with intended parents.
Fertility SOURCE Companies, registered with the FDA and compliant with all regulations and standards set forth by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine has served over 2,000 satisfied Intended Parents since inception.
To learn more about international surrogacy and egg donation at Fertility SOURCE Companies,
call (877) 375-8888 or you can visit: http://www.fertilitySOURCEcompanies.com; http://www.TheDonorSOURCE.com; or http://www.TheSurrogacySOURCE.com .
Tags: Egg Donation, egg donation agency, egg donor, Gay Parenting, International surrogacy, international surrogacy laws, LGBT conference, LGBT parenting, LGBTQT, Men having babies, surrogacy agency, Surrogate Mother, The Surrogacy SOURCE, third party reproduction
Posted in Fertility SOURCE companies, The Surrogacy SOURCE, gay surrogacy, same sex parenting, surrogacy | No Comments »
Monday, June 4th, 2012
Actor Neil Patrick Harris has opened up his home to Oprah Winfrey as part of a revealing new interview about fatherhood.
The “How I Met Your Mother” star and his partner, David Burtka, who are parents to 19-month-old twins Gideon and Harper, invited the media mogul to their sprawling estate for the TV chat.
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Posted in Fertility SOURCE companies, General, Surrogate Mother, gay surrogacy, parenthood, same sex parenting, third party reproduction | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
For most mothers, there is no event in life bigger than giving birth to a child. Charity Lovas has given birth to eight children, yet only three of those children are her own.
It all began in 2002, when she and her family were living in Indianapolis. She says she was reading the Sunday newspaper and spotted an ad for ovum donors. She had never heard about it. She was curious.
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Posted in Surrogate Mother, The Surrogacy SOURCE, fertility, gay surrogacy, infertility, parenthood, same sex parenting, surrogacy, third party reproduction | No Comments »
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