India Bans Same-Sex Couples From Using Surrogates

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“Officials from India’s government announced that gay couples and single individuals from other countries who wish to start a family are prohibited from using the country’s popular surrogate program, New Delhi Television Limited reports.

“The new rules state that only straight couples who have been married for more than two years can use India’s surrogacy program. Notified by the change from a message on the Indian Home Ministry’s website, fertility clinics and LGBT rights activists termed the move ‘discriminatory’.”

Original Article:

http://www.edgeboston.com/news/international/news/140889/india_bars_same-sex_couples_from_using_surrogates

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Anyone looking into Surrogacy can find an agency in the United States that will not discriminate based on sexual orientation, age, color, origin (equal opportunity). In addition, the United States offers the latest medical technology and the best laws to protect the new Parents. The Surrogate Mothers and Couples whose arrangements are in the United States are protected from being exploited when the surrogacy arrangement is done properly.

Cord Blood Trial – Perinatal Stroke Study

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Families who banked their children’s cord blood with Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®) now have access to a new clinical trial investigating whether a child’s own cord blood stem cells will help pediatric stroke patients.

Stroke is often thought of as a disease of the elderly. However the second-highest risk period is from 28 weeks gestation to 4 weeks after birth. Stroke occurs when blood flow is interrupted to part of the brain, leading to the destruction of brain cells. Children who have had a pediatric stroke may develop:

• Cerebral palsy
• Seizures
• Low muscle tone and/or alertness

If you think your child may be eligible for this FDA-regulated clinical trial, please visit www.cordblood.com/stroke and complete the form.

Pediatric Stroke Study Details

This first-of-its-kind Phase 1 safety trial is being conducted at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). It will enroll 10 children who have their umbilical cord blood banked with Cord Blood Registry and have experienced a perinatal stroke. Children up to 6 years of age who suffered a perinatal stroke may be eligible for the study.

“Currently there is no treatment for these devastating conditions other than preventative measures,” says Timothy Foster, MD, a pediatric neurologist at UTHealth and principal investigator of the trial. “As a professional who cares for children with these conditions, and as a scientist, I am very excited about stem cell research and this study in particular, as it will pave the way for larger-size studies and more knowledge of the potential of these cells.”

This study marks the fifth such clinical trial where researchers have partnered with CBR to focus on the use of a child’s own CBR-processed cord blood stem cells for study in neurological applications.

For more information about CBR-sponsored clinical trials and research, please visit the CBR Center for Regenerative Medicine.

Sincerely,

Heather Brown, M.S., C.G.C.
Vice President, Scientific & Medical Affairs
Cord Blood Registry

France Welcomes Surrogacy Babies

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President Francois Hollande’s promise to legalize gay marriage was seen as relatively uncontroversial when it first came up as a campaign pledge. Then, as the debate began this week, his justice minister quietly issued an order to grant French birth certificates for children born to surrogates abroad.

The news reopened a raw and unwelcome national debate on fertility treatments, surrogacy and adoption. Assisted reproduction is off-limits to all but heterosexual couples showing at least two years of companionship. Egg donation has been regulated nearly into non-existence, and surrogacy of any kind is punishable by a prison term.

Although surrogacy is currently illegal in France, children born through Surrogacy in other countries can be registered by the French government entitling children to rights and benefits given to all French citizens. We expect that, in time, the French government will endorse legal and ethical arrangements that are conducted in places like the United States where reputable agencies such as Building Families have a high degree of success.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iUQmJHV8HKJFpkAeJkHcN6kNw6ow?docId=16b9234ab18945da96658ec89e00ff40

Building Families, Inc – 100% Success Rate in Couples Taking Their Babies Home

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As of January 2013, Building Families would like to announce that all of it’s Couples who have successfully had children through the program have had a 100% Success rate in taking their babies home to their respective countries.

This is a VERY important fact. This is the last thing that Couples should have to worry about. Building Families’ process educates the Couple about how to receive the paperwork they will need to successfully acquire critical paperwork necessary to leave the country. Couples can rest assured that they can pursue the Surrogacy journey without doubts about taking their baby home.

We’ve heard stories about how so many Couples have spent months in foreign countries trying to find ways to go home with their baby. We’ve heard about how much money was spent “greasing the wheels” to get paperwork through the system to get things done.

All of the legal paperwork that’s done and all the processes done by the agency ensure that there is a “chain” of events that are legally documented to show other countries that the child was not stolen or bought. Our process and the surrogacy legal experts we work with ensures that the arrangement was done in an appropriate manner and with the best interests of the child, his parents and the Surrogate Mother and her family.

The emotional and monetary risks by pursuing surrogacy in another country are extreme. You must weigh these risks against the savings you get… is it really worth it?

Newest Assisted Reproductive Technologies Outcomes Data Released; SART Reports 59,466 ART Babies Born; ART Multiple Birth Rates Continue to Decline

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SART’s 2011 National Summary Report and the individual clinic reports went live on the SART website this morning. The Society released the following announcement:

The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology has released the latest data on assisted reproductive technologies in the United States confirming that previous years’ positive trends are continuing in some key areas. SART’s IVF Success Rate National Summary aggregates data from 379 US clinics, for 154,412 cycles resulting in the birth of 59,446 babies.

Again this year, SART clinics reported lower numbers of multiple births from ART cycles. This can be credited to lower numbers of embryos transferred per cycle and an increased use of elective single embryo transfer, particularly in younger age groups. These treatment choices led to reductions in twin, as well as higher-order multiple births across every age group.

Live births from cycles using frozen-thawed embryos were up across all ages. SART President, G. David Ball, PhD, said, “We are pleased that this year’s national data reflect the improvements in patient care, counseling and laboratory technique that SART continually strives for. And we are very proud of our reporting system which allows us to quickly and accurately provide the public with the latest national and clinic-specific ART data.

We have worked to make the National Summary and the individual clinic reports user-friendly with drop-down boxes so that users can search particular criteria- such as year, treatment and diagnosis- and a hover-text feature to provide clear definitions of technical terms when the user rests the cursor on the text.

SART instituted a new registry system this year which has resulted in improvements in security and ease of use and we look forward to announcing new features soon which will further enhance our reports’ usefulness to the public.”

Saddleback Memorial Medical Center Dedicates New Bonding Room at The Women’s Hospital

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Jane L. Frederick, M.D. Honored for Generous Funding Towards Project

Laguna Hills, CA – Jan. 23, 2013 – A new bonding room was dedicated with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at The Women’s Hospital at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in honor of donor Jane L. Frederick, M.D., who funded the project.

The new Jane L. Frederick, M.D. Bonding Room provides legally intended parents who have given birth through a surrogate mother, a place to stay overnight and bond with their new baby. Saddleback Memorial chief executive officer Steve Geidt says, “We have seen a growing need to provide this type of service for our surrogate families. In 2012, we had 15 surrogate births, with legal parents who came from as far as China, Norway and Australia.”

The room was made possible through philanthropic support from Dr. Frederick, a co- medical director at HRC Fertility and one of the longest practicing female reproductive endocrinologists in the Orange County area who has worked with intended parents for over 20 years.

“In the past, Saddleback Memorial would find a place for intended parents to bond with their newborn, but this is the first time a room has been specifically designated for, and designed with, these parents in mind,” says Dr. Frederick. “Surrogacy continues to be a viable option for many families and often these families don’t have a place to go in a hospital delivery situation. Parents really need a special place that is theirs and The Women’s Hospital at Saddleback Memorial has come through with a beautiful area that is really unique.”

The Bonding Room features two-seater sleepers to provide parents with a place to spend
the night with their new baby, as well as a dresser and bassinet. The room also incorporates soothing colors and natural elements in conjunction with the current renovation project Designed for Healing, which aims at providing better patient care through nature-inspired design elements. During their stay in the Bonding Room, parents are able to receive post-partum education from a registered nurse just as birth parents do.

“This is a beautiful room for our intended parents to celebrate the birth of their child and is complementary to our facility and specialized programs we currently offer,” says Michael Haydon, M.D., medical director of The Women’s Hospital at Saddleback Memorial.

“Our community is very fortunate to have donors such as Dr. Frederick,” said Saddleback Memorial Foundation president Cecilia Belew. “Dr. Frederick saw the need for the Bonding Room and stepped up with her generous donation to make it happen. Her gift will touch the lives of so many families in Orange County and from around the world for years to come.”

The Dr. Frederick Bonding Room

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Carol & Breann had the pleasure of attending the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the Saddleback Memorial Medical Center’s debut of the Dr. Jane Frederick Bonding Room. Through Dr. Frederick’s generous donation, this bonding room was specifically created and designed for new parents having their child(ren) through Surrogacy.  A huge “Thank You” to Dr Frederick and Saddleback Memorial for their efforts in giving new parents a comfortable place to bond with their new bundles of joy, their children!

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