Family formation through gestational surrogacy can be a beautiful thing. It is also a lengthy, expensive process that comes with mental and emotional challenges. So, what do potential surrogates and intended parents, or IPs, need to know before they move forward? And how are both parties protected so that the surrogate-IP relationship thrives throughout the process?

Alexis Cirel serves as partner in the Matrimonial and Family Law Group at Warshaw Burstein. Alexis is also a recognized leader in the area of reproductive family law, and she was instrumental in the recent passage of the Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) , the legislation that legalizes gestational surrogacy in New York and ensures protections for New York families formed through assisted reproduction.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Alexis joins Katherine to discuss how the relationship between the surrogate and intended parents is formed, explaining what motivates women to serve as surrogates and how the CPSA provides a team of support for all involved. She walks us through the extensive provisions required by law in every surrogacy agreement and describes how negotiated provisions can be tailored specifically to the parties involved. Listen in for Alexis’s insight on how surrogates are compensated and learn how the surrogacy process can both put stress on a marriage and bring intended parents together.

Topics Covered 

How the Child-Parent Security Act legalized gestational surrogacy in New York State 

Why the CPSA is considered the gold standard for assisted reproductive technology

How the relationship between the surrogate and intended parents is formed

What motivates women to serve as surrogates

How the CPSA builds in ongoing protections to make sure the relationship between the surrogate and intended parents thrives throughout the process

The extensive provisions required by law in every surrogacy agreement

How negotiated provisions can be tailored to the specific parties involved

How surrogates are compensated and what a surrogate might ask for beyond base compensation

Where to find resources for professionals involved in the surrogacy process

The financial, mental and emotional challenges associated with entering into a surrogacy arrangement and what happens if the intended parents separate or divorce

How the surrogacy process can both put stress on a marriage and bring a couple together

Connect with Alexis Cirel

Email: [email protected] 

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

The Child-Parent Security Act: https://health.ny.gov/vital_records/child_parent_security_act/

Reproductive Technology Law at Miller Law Group: https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/reproductive-law-planning

American Society for Reproductive Medicine: https://www.asrm.org/