Surrogacy Seminars Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane
In 2011 in Vegas of all
places, I had an extraordinary conversation with a man I had just met. He was Steve Snyder. Steve was and is the owner of a surrogacy
agency, International Assisted Reproduction Center in Minneapolis, a long time
ART attorney and then the chair of the ART Committee of the American Bar
Association.
Steve had just organised
the world’s first international surrogacy conference which was held by the
American Bar Association Family Law Section, in Vegas. I was speaking at the conference, about
Australian surrogacy law.
Steve told me in a quiet
conversation that there was a proposal from the Hague Permanent Bureau, the
body responsible for writing Hague Conventions, of which Australia is a party,
about a proposed convention on international surrogacy arrangements. He then told me a model that was proposed
about the convention. My reaction was to
spit chips. I won’t repeat the words
here. They were simply too rude. Like most Americans, Steve was amazingly
polite and stood there while I ranted.
His mouth was agape. I then
realised on the first substantive meeting with him I had probably greatly
insulted him. Instead he said he
appreciated my candour and agreed with me entirely!
I then found myself after
a little while in charge of a project by the American Bar Association to put
together a policy in dealing with that proposal at The Hague. Eventually in February 2016 after hundreds or
thousands of hours of work with a team of others, but particularly my esteemed co-author
Bruce Hale from Boston, that policy became a reality.
Steve is one of the most
extraordinary knowledgeable men I have ever met who knows about surrogacy
inside and out - and always operates from an ethical framework. He has probably forgotten more about
surrogacy than most people will ever know.
He has a wealth of
knowledge about surrogacy that is unparalleled.
I am privileged to be
joining him and Dr John Hesla to talk about US surrogacy for Australians:
·
in Melbourne on Saturday, 2 March;
·
in Sydney on Sunday, 3 March;
·
in Brisbane on Tuesday, 5 March.
And let me give Dr Hesla
a plug. I had the privilege last year of
going to Portland on what I was told was one of the few sunny days of the year,
and visited ORM Fertility.
It is an excellent IVF clinic with high standards. Dr Hesla is a pioneer in his field who has an
extraordinary personable nature – what used to be called a doctor’s bedside
manner. He is one of those people who
just makes me feel comfortable. My
clients love him and the quality of IVF from his clinic is excellent.
And about me…
My first surrogacy case was in 1988. I have acted for between 1,500 and 3,000
surrogacy clients since then. I have
also acted for IVF clinics, sperm banks, proposed egg bank, egg, sperm and
embryo donors and recipients. I have
also acted for widows who want to use their late husband’s sperm in order for
them to become parents.
My clients have been from
every part of Australia from remote parts of every State and also from the
capital cities.
I have also acted for
clients who have come from 30 other countries ranging from Russia to Brazil,
United States, China and Solomon Islands to just give a few.
I have lost count of the
number of clients I have acted for from Queensland, New South Wales or Victoria
who have undertaken US surrogacy journeys.
Warning!
There are offences for
those who live in some parts of Australia in undertaking egg donation
overseas. These journeys should be taken
with particular care. They apply to
people living in Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT, for example.
An inadvertent breach of
these laws could result in prosecution.
The offences have a maximum jail time of 15 years imprisonment.
It is an offence in
Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT to engage in commercial surrogacy
overseas (including the United States).
The maximum penalty varies from one year’s imprisonment in the ACT to 3
in Queensland. In New South Wales the
penalty is up to $110,000 fine and 2 years’ imprisonment.
No-one has yet been
prosecuted, but authorities have been quite clear in saying that the laws
remain on the books and can be enforced as a deterrent for people to undergo
commercial surrogacy overseas.
It is possible to engage
in non-commercial surrogacy in the United States even for people from
Queensland, New South Wales or the ACT, if extreme care is taken. Expert legal advice needs to be obtained so
that there isn’t an accidental commission of a very serious offence.
And finally…
I have suffered
infertility. I have two adult sons. My husband Mitchell and I are currently
undertaking a domestic surrogacy journey.
Now the deets...
The seminars are free.
Melbourne: Saturday 2nd March
State Library of Victoria 328 Swanston Street 2-3.30pm
Sydney: Sunday 3rd March 2-3.30pm
Aerial UTS Function Centre, Building 10, Floor 7, 235 Jones Street UTS
Brisbane- Tuesday 5th March 6.30-8pm Blue Room Cinebar, 151 Baroona Road, Rosalie
To register for the seminars RSVP to sludlow@ormfertility.com.
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