New Surrogacy pointers for Surrogacy visa applications for Indian Surrogacy

one of our patients but settled in Asia went to the canadian embassy in HK to apply for their medical visa but the official there said that they have to go to India on a tourist visa first- sign the agreement and come back and apply for the medical visa.
we objected and said that this is not necessary as all of our patients since january 2013 who came on a medical visa signed and notarised their agreements in their own countries.this is acceptable as per International law also.
this issue was causing considerable heart burn and the letter above from the MHA,GOV. of India has come at a good time and mentions clearly that the agreements can be signed and notarised and used for medical/Surrogacy visa application and commissioning parents need not come to India for the same thereby saving an unnecessary trip.
the Government has to realise that this is an agreement between 3 private parties and is an agreement based on legality but also on several other emotional and personal issues.they have to realise that they cannot continue to poke their nose into personal matters of private parties in the name of regulation!!
the Modi Govt.has promised that they will improve the Ease of Doing Buisness in India.now is the time to put words into actions!!!

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Spanish surrogacy.

We are happy that our friends Manel and Augustin and his daughter Emma are now on their way back to Spain to be with his families.we wish them well in their future lives and are grateful to God who has chosen us and gave us the ability this remarkable profession that helps bring so much joy to the lives of families around the world

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India can learn from kenya in drafting progressive Surrogacy laws!!

The Kenyan Reproductive Health Care Bill 2014, sponsored by nominated senator Judith Sijeny was printed and published by the Government Printer last month and could be debated any time this week.
This Bill, if passed, could be the most comprehensive and progressive reproductive laws anywhere in the world.
It may be the first legislation in Kenya to recognise that children as young as ten are sexually active and goes ahead to suggest that they need access to comprehensive reproductive health services and products.
“In the provision of reproductive health services to adolescents, parental consent is not mandatory,” suggests the senator.
The proposal assures health workers that nothing prevents them from referring an adolescent who has sought reproductive health services to a qualified person for provision of necessary services and products.
Surrogacy for Single men and women
The Bill which has several clauses replicated and others contradicting the Health Bill 2014 prepared by the Ministry of Health has interesting provisions for those willing to remain single parents.
A single adult man or woman will be able to commission a surrogate mother to carry a pregnancy and deliver a baby for them. Such a person, would, if a woman, for example, identify a sperm donor or ‘withdraw’ some from the sperm bank at Kenyatta National Hospital and get into a written agreement with a willing woman to carry the pregnancy.
Surrogacy  AGREEMENT
The Bill, just like the proposed Health Bill 2014, has a lot to say about surrogacy and goes further to describe what a ‘womb renting’ agreement would look like.
For example, if the person commissioning a surrogacy is in a marriage or steady union, both parties must sign the agreement. The proposal also makes it possible for married women or those in a stable relationship to rent out their wombs.
If the husband of such a woman fails to permit the wife to rent her womb out, she can ignore the man and sign the agreement.
“Where a husband or partner of a surrogate mother unreasonably withholds his consent, the other parties shall proceed to sign the agreement and it shall be valid,” says the Bill.
A woman, who has rented out her womb, cannot claim payment but is entitled to reimbursement of expenses directly related to the pregnancy or loss of earnings occasioned by the surrogacy.
The bill suggests that trained health workers may terminate a pregnancy if the health or life of the woman is in danger but must have the consent of the woman. In case of a minor such termination can only be done in consultation with the parents or guardian.
Anybody who terminates a pregnancy without the consent of the woman and in case of a minor, a go-ahead from a guardian, risks going to jail for up to three years.
Comparing with the current Indian scenario where the MHA regulations have directly contradicted the proposed ART bill by the ICMR by retrospectively banning Single Men and Women from accessing surrogacy in India,the Kenyan draft bill seems very progressive and friendly towards the rights of all parties involved in third party reproduction.
As i have been saying along the last government headed by Sonia Gandhi was very regressive in thinking and had strong Anti Development policies and i am confident that the new governement led by Shri Narendra Modi will take note of the restrictions the last governement imposed on Foreigners entering surrogacy arrangements in India will be  lifted shortly.

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surrogacy in India-Visa nightmare for Surrogacy and ivf patients!!

A lot of our patients are having difficulties in getting their visa applications accepted,once submitted it is taking quite a lot of time to get the application accepted online.

emergency visas are being processed in person.

the problem is because of the contract being awarded to change Cox and kings.

a year ago Travisa were incharge and they would do a good job then it was shifted to BLS who were horrible.

this is a horrible situation and a professional enterprise should do a better job than this.as it is the number of tourists travelling to India keeps reducing each year.

hope cox and kings do a better job of it than BLS

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/fury-anger-over-indian-visa-mess/Content?oid=2810578

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Surrogacy from Argentina and egg donors from South Africa

Dr.Kiran Sekhar with an IP from Argentina and Egg Donors from South Africa.

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Time for India to follow Israel's Surrogacy lead

Landmark bill to permit gay couples as well as single men and women in Israel to obtain surrogacy services overcame a major hurdle Sunday when it was approved by the cabinet, overturning an appeal by Housing Minister Uri Ariel. The legislation is set to be presented for a Knesset vote at a later date, and will likely pass into law.

Read more: Cabinet approves 'surrogacy equality' bill for gay couples | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/cabinet-approves-surrogacy-equality-bill-for-gay-couples/#ixzz33SSToxkx
Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook

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Surrogacy Bill stalled again in USA!!

Bobby Jindal who is of Indian Descent once again showed his conservative leanings by vetoing the Louisana Surrogacy bill

For the second year in a row, Gov. for the state of Louisana, Bobby Jindal has vetoed legislation that sought to set up a legal framework for surrogacy births in Louisiana.
Jindal announced the veto Saturday, three days before the end of the legislative session. His chief of staff, Kyle Plotkin, delivered the news by phone Saturday morning to state Sen. Gary Smith, who co-sponsored the legislation.
The governor, in his veto message, wrote that “despite the good intentions and hard efforts of the author, this legislation still raises concerns for many in the pro-life community.” He said he couldn’t “in good conscience, sign this bill.”
With his veto, Jindal killed legislation that attempted to give parents legal protection when they turn to a surrogate to carry their biological children. The bill’s sponsors — a state senator and a state representative whose wives grappled with reproduction issues — made a number of concessions without ever garnering the governor’s support.

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British Surrogate mother agrees to have her mum's baby as but changes her mind after the birth

'The bond with my baby was stronger than the bond with my mum': Daughter agreed to have her mother's baby as a surrogate - but then changed her mind and decided to KEEP the child

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2639002/The-bond-baby-stronger-bond-mum-Daughter-agreed-mothers-baby-surrogate-changed-mind-decided-KEEP-child.html

 

Leaves me baffled!!

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From Surrogacy to Reality TV!!Uk's first gay surrogate parents Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow set for TV series!!

A GAY couple from Danbury will be propelled into the nation’s living rooms this Monday when a TV series about their surrogacy company begins.
Barrie, 43, and Tony Drewitt-Barlow, 49, hit the headlines in 2000 when they became Britain’s first gay surrogate parents. They now have five children and are considered ‘the most famous gay dads in the country’.
Since their first child, the couple have set up their own surrogacy company – the British Surrogate Centre – to help other couples throughout Europe have a child.
The show will follow the trials and tribulations of the company, highlighting the good times and the tearful times. It was the brainchild of fellow Essex lad David Van Day, former member of band Guys’n’Dolls.
Of the show, Barrie said: “You can’t help, but get emotional with some of the stories you hear coming into our office. But it’s also important for people to see the horror stories, like seeing innocent people getting ripped off by agencies.
“We’ve done one hour shows in the past, but this time filming is for a whole series and took about ten months. For the first time people will be
The couple are parents to one girl, Saffron, and four boys, Dallas, Orlando, Aspen, and Jasper, and became one of the first gay couples to get married when it was leglaised in March.
However Barrie found the day a bit of an anti-climax, preferring the couples civil partnership at Hylands House ceremony in 2006.
He said: “Tony was sick with cancer at the time, so it meant more. We didn’t know if he would be around.”
*The show starts on Monday, May 26, on Showcase, Sky channel 192.
able to see the real us, the kids screaming and everything!”

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Surrogacy in India from Brasil

Got a very sweet message today from a patient of mine from brasil.

·         Dear Doctor Samit Sekhar, 

·        

·       "  I'm writing to say once again how grateful I am for you have helped me to have my son.

The expertise of you and your team was inspiring of AWE, I couldn't have been more fortunate to have known the Kiran infertility Center.

The kindness and professional competence, I found there, of all people, is incredible, and I want you to know that I will be eternally grateful.

Your work is so important. And you excel in their work in every way possible.

So, thank you. My family and I will never forget what you have done for us.

Once again, thank you!

With infinite gratitude",

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Busy busy busy-i love being busy with work!!

Oh Boy!! has it been a busy week or what!!!
so many babies born in the last one week.
first the Coldren's from USA had twins in the first week of march and then a couple of weeks ago a UK based couple Lee and Matt had their twins as well,these two were born premature and a lot of time was spent in consultation with the paediatricians to ensure that no complications developed.
thankfully they are doing fine now and will be recover fast,fingers crossed and a prayer on the lips for them.
Today Manel From Spain was blessed with a baby girl and so were Mrs and Mr.yang from canada.
April/may has been all about girl power.the number of girls born were siginifcantly higher than boys.
all the babies and their Surrogate mommies are doing fine..
its not just the clinical work and the work in the ivf lab that keeps me busy,since the change in regulations i have to work closely with both the Singh's to make sure that the paperwork for the medical visas/Surrogacy visas is updated from time to time and given to commissioning parents on time.all embassies across the world are not yet full in tune with the process especially because they outsource the paper work and hence someone or the other comes up with a new checklist every now and then and this keeps the lads on their toes all the time!!
right now it feels like the medical part is the easy part and the paperwork required for babies born through surrogacy especially for some countries such as the UK is simply ridiculous!!
we realise the importance of the surrogacy journey and we also realise that no two sets of commissioning parents will be the same,so we always make sure that we dont drop the ball when it comes to the paper work because this is extremely vital.

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Surrogacy in India-Greatful to Surrogate mommy-American babies -born in India!

Mrs and Mr.Coldren from USA were belssed with twin daughters today morning,both mother and daughters are doing well and we are extremely happy for them and wish them well!!

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Unfortunate that India can no longer help Spanish from having a baby through surrogacy

Contrary to what a  lot of the Spanish commissioning parents think  both Indian and Spanish governments are responsible for the current situation because of which spanish married /heterosexual couples cannot undergo surrogacy in India.the spanish consulate/MEA refuses to give a supporting document which says that babies born through surrogacy will be granted citizenship and Passport post birth.
this is a simple enough requirement from the govt of India and is important because babies should not be left stateless and i do not understand why the spanish government would refuse to give such a  letter even though they do give passports and citizenship to babies born through surrogacy in India.we have ourselves helped several spanish couples through the process.
the following is a report i read online

Barcelona- Every year, around 800 Spanish couples who see surrogacy as their only reproductive option must go abroad because Spain does not permit the practice, experts said here at a conference organised by law firm Subrogalia.
Only a few countries have any legislation regulating surrogacy and establishing that legal paternity resides with the couple who hire the surrogate, specialists in the field told EFE Thursday.
Spanish couples pay anywhere from 50,000 to 200,000 euros ($70,000-$277,000) for the process.
The top surrogacy destination for Spanish couples is Ukraine, where some clinics offer unlimited implantation procedures for a fixed fee, but Mexico is becoming more popular, as Ukrainian law bars surrogacy clinics from serving single people and gay or lesbian couples.
"Four years ago, the United States was the top destination and represented around 80 percent of all Spanish couples," Diego Sanchez, president of Subrogalia, said, adding that the proportion has since fallen to 15 percent.
"If we could go to a closer country to hire surrogate mothers, then we would," he said.
While Britain, Greece and Cyprus permit surrogacy, the practice is limited to residents and the prospective parents may not pay the surrogate, the attorney said.
Adoption is difficult in Spain, Sanchez said, noting that "more than 15,000 couples are officially registered on the waiting list to adopt 80-100 children a year."

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/spanish-couples-pursuing-surrogacy-must-go-abroad-114050200478_1.html

 

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Presenting India's first Surrogacy Walk in New Delhi on 20/4/2014!!

India takes a global role in Third Party Reproduction with INSTAR (Indian Society for Third Party Assisted Reproduction) hosting two National events on the 20th of April.

We would like to cordially invite you to the  INSTAR Walk on Surrogacy on 20th April at 730 am to 830 am at Nehru Stadium New Delhi followed by a stimulating Workshop with leaders in the field from the legal, medical and government sector sharing the latest up to date information, clarifying questions

  

The Surrogacy Walk is a first for India, approx 500 people including surrogate mothers, their husbands, their extended family members and doctors lawyers social workers and the ART Banks are participating THEME SURROGACY BUILDS FAMILIES

This walk challenges the notion that Surrogate mothers are abandoned by their families and their husbands as they are doing surrogacy. It challenges the notion that the family looks down upon surrogate mothers.

This walk demonstrates that in fact the husbands and family members of Surrogate Mothers have come out in their support -- You can interview our participants for opinions

A Preliminary Survey done by INSTAR with 7 organisations in India in New Delhi, Gujrat, Hyderabad (Dr Bavishi Fertility Institute, Fertility Care India and SCI Healthcare, International Fertility Center, Kiran Infertility Centre, NGO Amma, ANA Med ART Bank and Services, New Life India ART Bank) on 179 surrogate mothers has asked the question about the surrogate mother's husbands views and her family's views on her being a surrogate mother

The most common answer was "Accha" which means good (Details of the survey are available on request)

In an outpouring of support parents with abbies born in India by Surrogacy from Acress the GLOBE USA UK BrAZIL CANADA AUSTRALIA etc have sent video messages for SUPPORT of their Surrogate MOTHERS and the SURROGACY WALK 

The WORKSHOP will be attended by Dr Ranjana Kumari from the Centre for Social Research and Dr Sharma From the Indian Council of Medical Research and International Embassies of over 20 countries have also been invited

ART Banks of Indian origin, Caucasian origin and African Origin Egg donors will give their views - for The first time in India. According to the Banks the problems that arise are due to a minority of unscruplous elements claiming to be ART Banks. This is done to cut costs of treatment as they  dont have complete paperwork etc. Only registered Companies who have applied for registration with the ICMR should be used by doctors and patients, this will go a long way in reducing the problems.

Standardised Documentation for Surrogacy will be given - this is for reference purpose and has been vetted by Legal and Medical Experts in the Relevant field and is in LOCAL Language and is an extension of the ICMR guidelines especially for post delivery care of the surrogate mothers and counselling for the process

A Survey cum Consensus STATEMENT will be presented in the CONFERENCE on 21st of April - Relating to the field of Egg donation with atleast 200 participants including Doctors ART Banks legal Experts and Counsellors and Social workers

All members of INSTAR are proud of the work of ICMR in bringing together National guidelines for ART that will guide practice across India in Third Party Reproduction routing out disreputable parties and “middle men”. INSTAR members’ stand with ICMR in creating an Indian voice demonstrating best practice in being one of the few countries in the world with consistent guidelines for both ART; Third Party Reproduction and compensated surrogacy.

Through the practice of INSTAR members, members will demonstrate that surrogates are able to make informed decisions’, supported by their families and are proud of their role in building and strengthening families

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