Attorneys Amelia Demma and Elizabeth Swire Falker joined Gay City News for a webinar on March 31 to educate New Yorkers on the state’s new paid gestational surrogacy law, which went into effect earlier this year, along with other details surrounding assisted family formation.
The free webinar outlined many of the steps necessary for all parties partaking in gestational surrogacy, which is when a surrogate carries a baby who has no biological relation to her.
Demma and Falker, who said they have pushed for surrogacy rights in New York State since 2013, also discussed factors such as costs, health insurance requirements, legal needs, and more. They further detailed the legislation’s surrogacy bill of rights, which has been hailed as a distinctive element of the law in comparison to other states.
Demma also hinted at future advocacy efforts intended to expand surrogacy rights at the federal level. A virtual advocacy day pertaining to assisted family formation is slated for June 17.
The legislation in New York State, officially known as the “Child-Parent Security Act,” was carried in the State Legislature by Assemblymember Amy Paulin of Westchester and out gay State Senator Brad Hoylman of Manhattan, who had two children through gestational surrogacy in a different state prior to the law’s finalization in New York. The law was passed last year but did not go into effect until February 15.
The webinar was sponsored by the Law Offices of Amy Demma and the Law Office of Elizabeth Swire Falker, Esq., PLLC.
Watch the full webinar below.
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