Vegas and beyond

Vegas and beyond

In two days time I fly to Las Vegas to speak at the world’s first international surrogacy conference. I’ll be part of a panel of lawyers from around the world about bringing baby back home. It is truly exciting to be going to and to be honoured speaking at such a conference.

The last year has been an extraordinary one for me in terms of presentations about surrogacy, which I have done in addition to my full time work. I am glad to have the support of my partners and colleagues at Harrington Family Lawyers, without whom I would not have been able to do all of this:

One down side of all these presentations (all of which have been unique) is that the workload has slowed my blogging this year to a trickle.

I will be posting about the Vegas and Melbourne conferences on the blog. What concerns me most are attempts by the Hague conference on private international law to impose a treaty about international surrogacy. I applaud proper international regulation of surrogacy. Surrogates and intended parents should not be exploited. My clients who are intended parents want to do no harm. All they want is to have a child- not to hurt anyone else, let the special woman who is prepared to bear their child.

The pain of not being able to have children is an extraordinary burden for many couples. Most of my clients considering surrogacy have considered adoption, but with the red tape involved, part of which is there due to another Hague convention, they see little point being stuck in a very long, painful, costly queue. If the Hague has managed to come up with rules that make the process worse, what confidence can intended parents in the Hague getting it right with surrogacy regulation?

Things to Read, Watch & Listen

The Cost of Adoption in Australia

In this video, Accredited Family Law Specialist and Multi-Award Winning Lawyer, Stephen Page reveals the cost of adoption in Australia.

The Basics of Adoption in Australia

In this video, Award-Winning and Accredited Family Law Specialist, Stephen Page explores the basics of adoption in Australia.

Queensland ART Submission

Dear Reader I welcome the opportunity, albeit very tightly proscribed, in which to make a submission as to the proposed regulation of ART services in Queensland. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS IN THE CONSULTATION PAPER If ART legislation is introduced in Queensland, what should the Act’s guiding principles be? Response: The paramount concern should be that of… Read More »Queensland ART Submission

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