Alexis Cirel

The Relationship Between Surrogates And Intended Parents

Alexis Cirel serves as partner in the Matrimonial and Family Law Group at Warshaw Burstein. Alex is also a recognized leader in the area of reproductive family law, and she was instrumental in the recent passage of the Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) , the legislation that legalizes gestational surrogacy in New York and ensures protections for New York families formed through assisted reproduction.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Alexis joins Katherine to discuss how the relationship between the surrogate and intended parents is formed, explaining what motivates women to serve as surrogates and how the CPSA provides a team of support for all involved. She walks us through the extensive provisions required by law in every surrogacy agreement and describes how negotiated provisions can be tailored specifically to the parties involved. Listen in for Alexis’s insight on how surrogates are compensated and learn how the surrogacy process can both put stress on a marriage and bring intended parents together.

Topics Covered 

How the Child-Parent Security Act legalized gestational surrogacy in New York State 

Why the CPSA is considered the gold standard for assisted reproductive technology

How the relationship between the surrogate and intended parents is formed

What motivates women to serve as surrogates

How the CPSA builds in ongoing protections to make sure the relationship between the surrogate and intended parents thrives throughout the process

The extensive provisions required by law in every surrogacy agreement

How negotiated provisions can be tailored to the specific parties involved

How surrogates are compensated and what a surrogate might ask for beyond base compensation

Where to find resources for professionals involved in the surrogacy process

The financial, mental and emotional challenges associated with entering into a surrogacy arrangement and what happens if the intended parents separate or divorce

How the surrogacy process can both put stress on a marriage and bring a couple together

Connect with Alexis Cirel

Email acirel@wbny.com 

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict

Miller Law Group

Katherine on LinkedIn

The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller

Email katherine@miller-law.com

Call (914) 738-7765

Resources

The Child-Parent Security Act

Reproductive Technology Law at Miller Law Group

American Society for Reproductive Medicine

The post The Relationship Between Surrogates And Intended Parents With Alexis Cirel appeared first on Divorce Dialogues.

Lisa Schuman

What You Need to Know About Family Building Via Surrogacy

As society evolves, the landscape of what a family looks like and who can be parents is changing, too. More and more single people, same-sex couples, transgender individuals and people with medical issues are building families by way of surrogacy or adoption. So, what do those of us who are considering surrogacy need to think about before we start the process?

Lisa Schuman is the licensed clinical social worker behind The Center for Family Building, an organization working to make the journey to parenthood easier. She also serves as the Director of Mental Health Services for Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut and Gay Parents to Be. Lisa offers counseling for parents and children who formed their families through sperm and egg donation or adoption, and she recently testified as a surrogacy expert for the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Lisa joins Katherine to discuss the pros and cons of New York’s new surrogacy law and explain why more and more people are using surrogacy to become parents. She describes the separate roles of the surrogate and the egg donor, offering insight on how intended parents decide whether to contribute their own genetic material and why it’s important that everyone involved knows what to expect. Listen in for Lisa’s advice on how to best support single people, gay male couples, transgender women and people with medical issues as they build families through surrogacy.

Topics Covered

Lisa’s take on the pros and cons of New York State’s new surrogacy law

Why more and more people are using surrogacy to become parents

The four categories of people who might use surrogacy to build a family

The process Lisa uses to make sure the intended parents, the surrogate and her partner (if she has one) know what to expect

The separate roles of the surrogate and the egg donor

How intended parents decide whether to use a sperm donor or contribute their own genetic material

Lisa’s insight on the psychological impact of a child being biologically related to one parent and not the other

The altruistic personality type of a typical surrogate

How to support single people, gay male couples, transgender women and people with medical issues who are building their families through surrogacy

Lisa’s advice on getting educated before you look for a surrogacy clinic

Connect with Lisa Schuman

The Center for Family Building

The Center for Family Building on Instagram

Email lisa@familybuilding.net

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict

Miller Law Group

Katherine on LinkedIn

The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller

Email katherine@miller-law.com

Call (914) 738-7765

Resources

Family Equality Council’s LGBTQ Family Building Survey

American Society for Reproductive Medicine

ASRM’s Surrogacy Resources

ASRM’s Recommendations for Practices Utilizing Gestational Carriers

New York’s New Surrogacy Law

The post What You Need to Know About Family Building Via Surrogacy with Lisa Schuman appeared first on Divorce Dialogues.

Yifat Shaltiel

The Legal Ins and Outs of Surrogacy

For couples who can’t carry their own child, surrogacy is a viable option. And yet, the law in many states recognizes the surrogate as the legal mother and forces intended parents to work through the adoption process. So, how does surrogacy work? And how is the legislation changing in New York?

Yifat Shaltiel is the Founder and Attorney-Director of Surrogate Steps, an agency that helps individuals of all family types become parents through surrogacy. An expert on surrogacy and reproductive law, Yifat has been featured on MSNBC and Fox News, presented at Cornell University and the Women’s Bar Association of New York State, and testified for the New York State Legislature.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Yifat joins Katherine to discuss how the laws around surrogacy are changing in New York, describing the risks intended parents faced up until now and how the new legislation makes the process easier. She explains the technology used in in vetro fertilization or IVF and shares her experience around one parent being genetically related to the child while the other is not. Listen in for Yifat’s insight on the emotions associated with having a baby through surrogacy and learn how an agency like Surrogate Steps matches intended parents with a surrogate they can trust.

Topics Covered

How surrogacy helps couples with infertility issues as well as the LGBT community

The difference between traditional and gestational surrogacy and why traditional surrogacy can be a riskier process

How the laws around surrogacy are changing in New York on February 15, 2021

Why intended parents had to trust that the surrogate would follow their memorandum of understanding under previous law

How the new law will recognize the intended parents as the legal parents when the child is born

The technology used in the IVF process to inject sperm into an egg

How egg donors in IVF surrender their rights to the clinic or intended parents

Why couples usually care more about having a healthy baby than who is genetically related to the child and who isn’t

Why counseling is recommended for couples who have children through surrogacy

How a surrogacy agency assists in matching intended parents with a surrogate they can trust

Connect with Yifat Shaltiel

Surrogate Steps

Surrogate Steps on Facebook

Surrogate Steps on Instagram

Surrogate Steps on TikTok

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict

Miller Law Group

Katherine on LinkedIn

The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller

Email katherine@miller-law.com

Call (914) 738-7765

Resources

New York’s New Surrogacy Law

The post The Legal Ins and Outs of Surrogacy with Yifat Shaltiel appeared first on Divorce Dialogues.