AdoptionBlogger.Com

Canadian Judge: Child punished for parent's illegal activities.

Canada's Assisted Human Reproduction Act (Federal) came into effect in 2004 and declares that it is an offense to offer payment to a surrogate mother and all surrogate contracts are illegal. 

A canadian couple located a surrogate on the internet and the surrogate agreed to be artificially inseminated with the intended father's sperm for a fee of $20,000 to cover her "expenses and drawbacks" of being pregnant.  When the baby girl was born, the surrogate mother's name was omitted from the birth certificate and the intended father's name inserted with the plan that the intended father's wife adopt the child. 

Judge DuBois declared "this child does not have a right to a maternal relationship at any price."  Hence, the child does not have a legally recognizable mother.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1382832

NY Court of Appeals: Parents cannot have deceased son's sperm

son battling cancer deposited his semen with a sperm bank and signed a contract indicating that the samples should be destroyed if he died.  He died and his parents sought the sperm samples to use as part of a surrogacy process to have grandchildren.  the sperm bank refused to honor the request in light of the contract and that the samples were not prescreened and could be a danger to the public health.  in a case of first impression, the court sided with the sperm bank and denied access noting that the state law requiring screening of the sample could no longer be accomplished because the son was deceased.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ivZIgSpAA6LASFtgXMZrwbyBO1gQD96MRO8G0

Australia penalizes surrogates who assist same-sex families.

the government of australia claims that a surrogate from new zealand is financially responsible for child support of the child that she had for a same-sex male australian couple living in queensland. 

in new zealand and parts of australia, gay male couples are unable to adopt and the surrogate's name remains on the child's birth certificate.  

in the instant case, the child's biological father and partner became legal guardians (not an adoption) and gained child support benefits from the australian government enabling the biological father to stay home and care for the child as parents in australia are entitled to do.  the rub is that the austalian authorities than asked the surrogate to contribute.  she obviously refused.

this will cause a chilling effect as gay couples are unable to adopt in new zealand and most of australia and choose surrogacy as their only legal means of starting a family.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/01/24/1232471656508.html

Israel Court Gives OK to Use Deceased Son's Sperm

Israeli court permits hospital to release deceased son's sperm to family who will choose a surrogate for grandchildren pursuant to their son's wishes.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070129/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_dead_man_s_sperm;_ylt=AsvhDHiefYSINbR.EMRB7z7MWM0F;_ylu=X3oDMTA3czJjNGZoBHNlYwM3NTE-

Hospitals & Parrots Don't Mix! Surrogacy, Adoption, & Indiana

State of Indiana appealing second adoption decree approving the adoption of twins by an unmarried New Jersey man based on the fact that Indiana requires children placed out-of-state to be deemed "hard to place".  The twins were born after a fertilized egg from publicly unknown donors was implanted into a gestational surrogate who gave birth to the twins.  The state became involved after the hospital grew concerned that the adoptive father visited the twins in the hospital with a parrot in his pocket.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070121/LOCAL/701210431

Newspaper's attept to unseal records for publication denied by court.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6474099&nav=9Tai