Lesbian parents and sperm donors - Article in Family Law

Family Law (a leading monthly journal for UK family lawyers) has published an article by Natalie which discusses the landmark decision in same sex parenting case Re G and Re Z (2013) from earlier this year. You can read the article in full here. The case involved a lesbian couple (represented by the NGA team) who had conceived a son through an arrangement with a known donor. As civil partners, the two mothers benefited from the legal protection given by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 – they were the legal parents of the little boy, and named on his birth certificate. The genetic father applied to the court for ‘leave’ to make an application for contact rights, and the court had to decide whether – as a legal sperm donor – he should be allowed to apply against the wishes of the legal parents. The decision, published back in February, caused a storm at the time, covered by the main front page headline of the Daily Mail, as well as press statements from the HFEA and the British Fertility Society. Natalie’s article reflects on the significance of the decision and looks at why fertility law cases are causing such a challenge for the family courts. You can read more about known donor disputes on NatalieGambleAssociates website, or find out more about their family disputes services. Article: 13th December www.nataliegambleassociates.com Read more about Fertility Law at www.prideangel.com

Italian pasta brand Barilla refuses to use gay families in their advertising

Guido Barilla, chairman of the company of the same name, told a radio interviewer the concept of the "classic" family was fundamental. If gay people disliked the concept, he said, they could "eat another brand". His comments were an "offensive provocation", according to the head of gay rights group Equality Italia. If gays like our pasta and our communication, they will eat our pasta. If not, they can avoid it and eat another brand” "We accept the invitation from the Barilla owner to not eat his pasta," Aurelio Mancuso said, urging a boycott of the company's pasta, sauces and snacks. The hash tags Barilla and boicottabarilla (boycott Barilla) became top trending terms among Italians using Twitter. Alessandro Zan, a gay Italian MP, tweeted: "You can't mess around with consumers, including gay ones." 'Slightly different' In the interview given to Radio 24 on Tuesday, Mr Barilla had been asked if adverts for his company would ever feature a gay family. "We have a slightly different culture," he replied. "For us, the concept of sacred family remains one of the fundamental values of the company. Ours is a traditional family. If gays like our pasta and our communication, they will eat our pasta. If not, they can avoid it and eat another brand. You can't please everyone in order to displease no-one. "I wouldn't do an ad with a homosexual family not because I disrespect gays - they have their right to do whatever they want without disturbing others - but because I don't think like them and I think that the family we try to address is anyway a classic family." On Thursday, Mr Barilla issued a statement to apologise, explaining that he was trying to say "simply that the woman plays a central role in a family". "Barilla features families in its commercials because it embraces anyone, and they have always been identified with our brand," he added. Despite a strong gay culture, Italy is one of the few states in Western Europe which does not recognise same-sex unions in law. In its latest annual survey, the gay rights watchdog Ilga-Europe found the country continued to have a "relatively high level of homophobia and transphobia which expresses itself through violence". Article: 29th September 2013 www.bbc.co.uk Read more about gay parenting at www.prideangel.com

Are you soon to be a new gay or lesbian parent?

I’m Adam and currently working on the second series of the prime time show Don’t Just Stand There….I’m Having Your baby which airs on BBC3 at 9pm. Last series, first time Dads-to-be were shown how to be more supportive during their partner’s pregnancy and during the birth itself. In one to one sessions with a fully trained midwife, the Dads were taught about many aspects of pregnancy and labour including cervical dilation, pain relief, massage, breathing techniques and birthing positions. They were also given practical home work like wearing an empathy belly, looking after a robotic baby and watching a birthing video. We wanted to help him become the perfect birthing partner for Mum and make the whole experience more positive than petrifying! Last year we worked closely with the Royal College of Midwives in the making of this series and they were very pleased with the result. The first series was very successful and the Dads we filmed found the experience both positive and rewarding as they became more equipped to deal with the arrival of their little ones. This series we would love to meet and speak with gay and lesbian couples who are currently on the journey into parenthood. I would really like to hear your story and find out, as a first time parent, what this means to you and also how we could help. If you have any questions and fancy a chat about the series please feel free to call me on 0208 008 4901 or email me on adam.lonergan@bbc.co.uk. Thanks for your time and hopefully speak soon. Adam. Article: 21st May 2013 www.prideangel.com

Gay and lesbian families to be given legal protection in Ireland

Ireland to introduce a new bill to give greater protection for gay and lesbian families. Ireland’s Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) has welcomed comments made by Justice Minister Alan Shatter on the need to improve legal provision for gay parents and their children with new legislation. Speaking at an LGBT reception on Wednesday, Mr Shatter confirmed that the Irish government would bring forward new legislation to secure “equal citizenship for lesbian and gay parents”. Mr Shatter announced a comprehensive Family Relationships and Children Bill, to be enacted by the end of 2013, which will provide for relationships of guardianship, custody and access for children in lesbian and gay headed families. The proposed bill will also provide greater financial security for the children of same-sex parents by addressing maintenance and inheritance rights, and issues concerning assisted human reproduction. In response, the chair of GLEN Kieran Rose said: “This is great news for lesbian and gay couples who are parenting children. One of the most urgent issues for these parents is the lack of legal certainty for their families and the lack of protection and security for their children. “The reforms the minister outlined this evening will transform the status of these families, and secure for their children the range of protections and supports available to children in other families.” Article: 21st November 2012 www.pinknews.co.uk

Mail on Sunday would like to hear from Children raised in same-sex families

A Features Writer for the Mail on Sunday is looking for anyone who might be able help with a positive feature they are working on for this Sunday’s newspaper. They are looking to speak to young people, aged between six and 30, about their experience of being raised by same-sex parents. (They would also like to speak to one of their parents as well, if possible). The tone of this article would be 100% positive. It is in response to Sir Elton John’s concerns this week that his son Zachary will have a ‘very difficult’ childhood because he is raised by same-sex parents. 'We want our case studies to say why this isn’t the case' said Laura. Ideally, they would love them to talk a little about their childhood and highlight why it was a positive experience and they wouldn’t change it at all. Laura the features writer would be really grateful if you’d get in touch to laura.powell@mailonsunday.co.uk and liz.sanderson@mailonsunday.co.uk. Alternatively, their office line is 020 3615 3239. Many thanks. or if you just want a little more information please contact us at Pride Angel.

Glad to be gay parents - Is life getting easier for gay families?

With more same-sex celebrity couples proudly parading their children, is life getting easier for these unconventional set-ups?
Eleven years ago, when Karen decided to try for a baby with her long-term partner, she had no idea how to go about it. She felt uncomfortable disclosing her lesbian relationship to her doctor and wasn't keen on using a sperm bank because she felt strongly that she wanted her child to know who its father was. In the end, by chance, a friend offered to donate sperm. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was over the moon with happiness," she says. "But back then, there wasn't any information for gay and lesbian couples so throughout the whole thing we felt isolated and totally unaware of any legal issues, which could easily have arisen."

In fact, Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow made legal history in 1999 when they won a battle to bring their twins, conceived via donor eggs and carried to term by a surrogate mother, home to Britain after they were born in America. The twins became the first British children to be registered as having two fathers and no mother.

Nowadays things are a bit different. We've got Elton John and David Furnish introducing their surrogate son, Zachary, on the front of OK! magazine. In February, we had Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon introducing the world to the baby boy she had with her girlfriend, Christine Marinoni. Glee star Jane Lynch is stepmother to two daughters from her partner Dr Lara Embry's previous relationship. And there's even a gay adoption plot brewing in EastEnders. It's now so commonplace, a new bi-monthly glossy entitled Pink Parenting is due to hit the newsstands next month.

The magazine is the creation of long-term gay couple Jeff Crockett and Giorgiou Severi, who also publish Europe's leading fertility magazine, Fertility Road. The first issue features an interview with Ricky Martin talking about his twin boys, Valentino and Matteo, recipes from children's food expert Annabel Karmel, plus everything same-sex couples need to know about adoption, fostering and surrogacy.

Over the past 50 years, we have seen a complete shift in what the model of the family looks like and it appears the rise of the gay family is a big part of the next chapter. According to the Department for Education, there were 120 same-sex couples who adopted in 2010. Crockett and Severi cite figures from the 2000 American census, which revealed that 39 per cent of same-sex couples in the States between the ages of 22 and 55 were raising children. "Gay surrogacy or adoption is becoming a common-day occurrence, we are used to the idea. The world is ready for it now," Severi says.

Karen and Erika agree. After their less-than-happy experience 11 years ago, they decided to set up a website, Pride Angel, which is now the world's leading connection site putting lesbian and gay couples together with donors. It provides masses of information, including how to draw up the all-important donor or co-parenting agreements that outline financial and legal obligations.
That Pride Angel now has more than 7,000 members is testament to how big this issue has become.

When Oskana decided to have a baby with her long-term partner, Stacey, they too were lucky enough to have a friend volunteer to donate sperm. They now have a two-year-old and a four-year-old, both of whom were carried by Oskana but adopted by Stacey within weeks of the birth. Now both mothers have names on the birth certificate and absolutely equal parenting rights.

"We sat down with the donor and worked everything out," Oskana says. "He wanted to have visibility but in a sort of 'distant uncle' kind of way. We agreed he would have no rights and no responsibilities and that he wouldn't be morally or financially obligated to do anything."

Stuart and Mark, who live near Manchester and have been in a civil partnership since 2008, took the adoption route. This month, the papers finally came through saying that the two young boys who had been placed with them since last May were officially theirs.

Even though it's now enshrined in law, in the Adoption and Children Act 2002, that same-sex couples get exactly the same rights as heterosexual couples when it comes to adoption, Stuart says he definitely felt they were treated differently because they were gay. "We went for an open evening at Stockport Council and noticed that our names were highlighted in red on the attendance register but nobody else's was," Stuart says. "But once we found the right agency – After Adoption – it was superb. They were very supportive, really thorough, and it really wasn't an issue that we were gay."

To read more go to http://bit.ly/oCApko

Gay Family Case Study – Can you help?

The Independent newspaper are doing feature about same-sex parents and would love to speak to lesbian or gay couples who are bringing up children together.
It would be very straightforward - about what it's like at the school gates, other people's perceptions, whether attitudes are changing and also simple practical issues. It would be for a phone interview which could be done anonymously if you prefer.

If you can help at all please email: info@prideangel.com or alternatively contact us at Pride Angel for further information.

The piece is tied to a new newspaper that is coming out called Pink Parenting.

With modern life comes the modern family as many gay and lesbian couples seek to fulfill their biological needs of having a family. Pink Parenting is here to do just that.

Bringing you everything you need to start a family from surrogacy options, adoption and the legal aspects of being a modern family to what's the best stroller out there on the market.

Find out more about Pink Parenting magazine just visit: www.pink-parenting.com

For more information about sperm donation, using a known donor and gay parenting visit www.prideangel.com

Gay and lesbian couples in France don't have equal family rights

Gay couples in France are resorting to drastic measures to have children, according to campaigners.

Couples were resorting to costly and legally precarious methods, said Philippe Rollandin, spokesman for APGL, the largest association representing homosexual parents in France.

Campaigners are also unhappy that the children of homosexual couples have less protection than the offspring of heterosexual pairs if one parent dies or the couple separates.

"Homosexual couples are becoming more dismayed and angry about this clear discrimination in France, particularly as we are seeing the situation changing so clearly in Europe," he said.

Unlike in the UK, where gay parents have equal rights over their child, in France only one – the biological or adoptive parent – has automatic parental rights, said Caroline Mecary, a specialist gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights lawyer.

This means the non-biological parent cannot make emergency health decisions, travel alone with the children or pass on their inheritance. Crucially, if the officially recognised parent dies, the child is, in legal terms, an orphan in the eyes of the state.

"One half of the couple has no legitimacy in the eyes of the law, which is bad for the parents but even worse for the children," she said. "They are left in a legal no-man's land."

Rollandin said a ban on gay couples adopting had resulted in a generation of "Thalys babies", named after the high-speed train line between France and Belgium, where women can legally obtain artificial insemination. The APGL estimates that about 70% of lesbian couples with children used artificial insemination, which can cost between €1,000 (£880) to €3,000 (£2,600) in Belgium and up to €€6,000 in Spain.

Male couples were increasingly resorting to paying surrogate mothers to have children, said Rollandin. About half use this method, costing up to €120,000. Lesbian and gay couples are also using matchmaking websites to meet other couples or donors in order to have children.

To read more go to http://bit.ly/ezAAXv