For couples who can’t carry their own child, surrogacy is a viable option. And yet, the law in many states recognizes the surrogate as the legal mother and forces intended parents to work through the adoption process. So, how does surrogacy work? And how is the legislation changing in New York?

Yifat Shaltiel is the Founder and Attorney-Director of Surrogate Steps, an agency that helps individuals of all family types become parents through surrogacy. An expert on surrogacy and reproductive law, Yifat has been featured on MSNBC and Fox News, presented at Cornell University and the Women’s Bar Association of New York State, and testified for the New York State Legislature.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Yifat joins Katherine to discuss how the laws around surrogacy are changing in New York, describing the risks intended parents faced up until now and how the new legislation makes the process easier. She explains the technology used in in vetro fertilization or IVF and shares her experience around one parent being genetically related to the child while the other is not. Listen in for Yifat’s insight on the emotions associated with having a baby through surrogacy and learn how an agency like Surrogate Steps matches intended parents with a surrogate they can trust.

Topics Covered

How surrogacy helps couples with infertility issues as well as the LGBT community

The difference between traditional and gestational surrogacy and why traditional surrogacy can be a riskier process

How the laws around surrogacy are changing in New York on February 15, 2021

Why intended parents had to trust that the surrogate would follow their memorandum of understanding under previous law

How the new law will recognize the intended parents as the legal parents when the child is born

The technology used in the IVF process to inject sperm into an egg

How egg donors in IVF surrender their rights to the clinic or intended parents

Why couples usually care more about having a healthy baby than who is genetically related to the child and who isn’t

Why counseling is recommended for couples who have children through surrogacy

How a surrogacy agency assists in matching intended parents with a surrogate they can trust

Connect with Yifat Shaltiel

Surrogate Steps: https://surrogatesteps.com/

Surrogate Steps on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YourSurrogateSteps

Surrogate Steps on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surrogatesteps/

Surrogate Steps on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@surrogatesteps?

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict: http://understandinginconflict.org/

Miller Law Group: https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/

Katherine on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kemiller1

The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller: https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246

Email: [email protected]

Call (914) 738-7765

Resources

New York’s New Surrogacy Law: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-unveils-16th-proposal-2020-state-state-legalizing-gestational-surrogacy