Callout for gay dads
Sunday March 6, 2016

Callout for gay dads

Sunday, March 06, 2016
Surrogacy in Australia is still a recent phenomenon.  Even though my first surrogacy case was as long ago as 1988, surrogacy in Australia really did not take off until about 2010, with law changes in the eastern States. The average surrogacy journey takes between 18 months and 2 years, and up to 4 years. In some States, there are very few surrogacies. For example, in Tasmania, there is only one known completed surrogacy through the IVF clinic. Research from a couple of years ago highlighted that for every domestic surrogacy, another 11 couples went overseas instead.

For fertility counsellors, this has been  for many a very steep learning curve. I am lucky that I deal with surrogacy cases day in, day out, from across the country and across the globe. Very few fertility counsellors have that day to day exposure to surrogacy and are learning as they are going.

Most fertility counsellors have had plenty of experience helping childless straight couples- but much less experience helping gay couples. This is no criticism of them, it’s just the nature of the territory and our changing world.

In June there will be a meeting in Brisbane for fertility counsellors, run by the Australian and New Zealand Infertility Counsellors Association. The organisor wants gay dads or gay intended dads- who have either completed, planned or intended to undertake the surrogacy journey-  to speak with the fertility counsellors at the meeting.

If you are interested, please email me at spage@harringtonfamilylawyers.com , and I’ll put you in contact with the organisor.

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Things to Read, Watch & Listen
Fertility Lawyer Australia: How Stephen Page Became a Surrogacy Law Expert

How I Became a Fertility and Surrogacy Lawyer

A legal career that began in mainstream family law evolved into one of Australia’s most specialist practices in fertility, surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology. Over almost four decades, Stephen Page has handled thousands of complex matters, influenced law reform, advised clinics, taught ethics and regulation, and championed the human rights of everyone affected by assisted… Read More »How I Became a Fertility and Surrogacy Lawyer

My Surrogacy Journey: Medical, Emotional & Legal Lessons

Lessons From My Own Surrogacy Journey

Stephen Page’s story is a frank, sometimes brutal, ultimately hopeful account of what it means to pursue parenthood when the path is anything but straightforward. From a childhood conviction to be a dad, to confronting infertility, miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy and the legal uncertainty around parentage, his journey illustrates the medical, emotional and legal hurdles… Read More »Lessons From My Own Surrogacy Journey

Australian Surrogacy Law: Setting the Record Straight on Misleading Claims

Response to op-ed in The Australian by Stephen Page On Wednesday, a UK writer and anti-surrogacy advocate wrote an op-ed in The Australian. I first became aware of the article when my colleague Sarah Jefford OAM told me. For some reason, the author conflated transmen giving birth with surrogacy ( I am still missing the… Read More »Australian Surrogacy Law: Setting the Record Straight on Misleading Claims

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board