Fertility treatments across Europe are expanding with more than 1.1 million treatment cycles done at nearly 1,400 clinics in 2021.  However, fertility treatment availability across Europe varies widely by country.  In this article, I will review European national policies for assisted reproductive technology (ART), including in vitro fertilization (IVF), surrogacy, gamete (egg/sperm) donation, and embryo donation. After this review, one thing should be clear:  Europe is biased towards queer men when it comes to ART, and I will share some thoughts on why this is and what can be done to change it.

In this article, I review the opinions of reproductive lawyers from the United States, United Kingdom, and India with regard to surrogacy regulations. How can surrogacy journeys be regulated without being prohibitively restrictive? What happens when a country’s surrogacy laws are too prohibitive? What is the solution to promote ethical surrogacy around the globe?

Argentina has launched an investigation in the practice of surrogacy an other assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the country, especially by foreign intended parents (IPs). In this article, I go over the current state of Argentinian regulations for ART and surrogacy, and I discuss the findings from the ongoing investigation. Will Argentina follow in the footsteps of Thailand and ban surrogacy for international IPs? How can you ensure you are embarking on an ethical surrogacy journey abroad? Read this article to find out more.

Choosing where to embark on an international gestational surrogacy journey is challenging. There are many factors to consider in order to ensure an ethical journey. One factor could be the maternal mortality rate (MMR) of a country. In this article, I review the latest World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) MMR data and compare different destinations. The results may be surprising and should possibly factor into your decision on where to have your surrogacy journey.

With the trend of more queer intended fathers pursuing IVF and surrogacy outside the United States, I wanted to cover some of the negative news around journeys in these destinations. This is not meant to describe the universal experience of intended parents pursuing international surrogacy, but rather to highlight and inform regarding the potential challenges and risk with these types of journeys.

Due to financial considerations, more and more queer men are opting to pursue IVF and surrogacy outside the United States. In this article, I describe what I consider to be the minimum requirements for any journey to be considered ethical. My hope is that this can help queer men navigate their options and pursue an ethical journey in any country.

More queer men are turning to IVF and surrogacy abroad. Why? Largely the prohibitive cost of the procedures and journey in the United States. So what are the costs abroad for queer intended dads? What is the future of international IVF and surrogacy for queer fathers? Read more to find out.

Since 2015, Thailand has banned all international surrogacy arrangements and had very strict regulations on domestic surrogacy for Thai couples. The country is proposing a first-of-its-kind legislation to reopen the country to international intended parents, including queer couples. This could set an interesting precedent for other previously popular surrogacy countries like India and Georgia who also now have international bans in place. Read more to learn the details of the proposed Thai legislation and what it could mean for queer intended fathers all over the world.

Denmark is consistently ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. A vibrant economy, strong social fabric, and generous social services that support parents and families are often cited as some of the main reasons for this population’s happiness. However, children born through surrogacy arrangements and their intended parents have not yet benefited from the celebrated Danish system. Until now. The Danish government has announced a new legal framework for international commercial surrogacy and domestic altruistic surrogacy that is the first of its kind in Europe. In this article, I will review the legislation and what it could mean for the rest of Europe.

In this third installment of the BabyMoon Family Journal Club, we review a recently published study on the trend of international intended parents (IPs) working with gestational carriers (GCs) in the United States between 2014 and 2020. What are the demographics of these international IPs? What does their journey look like compared to domestic IPs? What countries are they coming from? These are some of the interesting questions that are answered and discussed in this manuscript review.

I am a gay physician who is pursuing surrogacy with my husband, and I was also raised Catholic. The Pope’s condemnation of surrogacy for assisted reproduction this week affected me more than I would have expected. In this article, I discuss the Church’s historic antagonism with science, the Church’s focus on reproductive technology, and how far removed the Pope’s statements are from the reality of surrogacy in the United States.

Ireland is working to propose a new piece of legislation that will regulate international surrogacy for Irish IPs. These recommendations come from the Irish Joint Committee on International Surrogacy, and in this article, I will review the positive and challenging aspects of the recommendations, as well as discuss the potential implications for international surrogacy in Ireland, the EU, and the world.

Many international intended parents (IPs) pay their hospital bill for their newborn in the United States with cash. What can they expect the bill to cost? How do they navigate the bill and negotiate with the hospital? Are there resources to help with this process? All this and more in this original BabyMoon Family article.

Fertility benefits should be for everyone. This is a background on fertility insurance and benefits in the United States, and how I am working to extend benefits offered through my company to employees in over 100 countries outside the United States.

The worst thing that could happen with regard to surrogacy has happened in Greece. An IVF clinic and agency has exploited women in Ukraine, Romania, and Georgia. This is horrible. Unfortunately, it is exactly what fuels the anti-surrogacy movement. However, there is a way to perform surrogacy with significant regulations and oversight that leads to a beautiful journey of family creation. Hopefully, the world can move in a positive direction after this Greek scandal and not towards more countries banning surrogacy.

Meloni’s right-wing Italian government is doing everything possible to erase current and future rainbow families. There are policies that have already resulted in queer mothers being removed from their children’s birth certificates, essentially removing their rights as a parent. Future steps discussed in this article will make surrogacy done in any country illegal in Italy, essentially preventing queer men from pursuing fatherhood through this option. Read more and be supportive of our Italian rainbow brethren during this horrific time.