The Legal Ins and Outs of Surrogacy with Yifat Shaltiel

Divorce Dialogues

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: [e-mail] Call [phone] Resources New York’s New Surrogacy Law: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-unveils-16th-proposal-2020-state-state-legalizing-gestational-surrogacy