News
Court of Appeal rules for non-birth mother in lesbian parenting case
In an important decision on same sex parenting, the Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of a non-birth lesbian mother seeking parental responsibility (the legal authority to be involved in decision-making), despite her lack of legal parenthood. The non-birth mother...
HFEA reports all time high for lesbian couples conceiving at UK fertility clinics
The UK’s fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, has published its annual report on statistics and trends in UK fertility treatment. One of the headline points this year is a 36% rise in the numbers of lesbian couples conceiving through...
First same sex weddings in England and Wales
Rainbow flags are flying at Westminster and outside town halls across the country today, as same sex couples say their vows and make history. As lawyers, we know that marriage provides no more rights in practice than same sex couples can already access via civil...
NGA quoted in The Independent – NHS fertility treatments allow two-mum families to reach record levels
We are delighted to see the news, reported today, about new HFEA figures showing record numbers of two-mum families being created through fertility treatment. The article quotes Natalie, saying: "Natalie Gamble, a leading fertility lawyer, said: “The law used to say...
High Court deals with legal mess after parents through UK surrogacy separate
A three year old boy born through surrogacy has been left in legal limbo after his parents separated without getting a parental order. The boy had been born through a UK surrogacy arrangement involving the intended mother’s friend. She offered to act as a surrogate...
Widow wins legal fight to extend sperm storage
Congratulations to Beth Warren, who has won her High Court battle to continue storing her husband’s sperm, overturning a Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority ruling that the sperm would have to be destroyed next April. The issue in the case was not about...
New Foreign Office guidance for parents planning international surrogacy
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has today published updated guidance for parents planning international surrogacy arrangements. We have been working with the FCO on this new guidance as part of our campaigning and policy work and are proud to have helped with...
More time needed to decide whether to harvest sperm from man in a coma, court rules
The High Court has suspended an emergency order authorising sperm to be collected from a man in a coma. The man unexpectedly suffered a cardiac arrest late last year, which put him in a vegetative state from which he was unlikely to recover. An application was made...
Same-sex marriage in England and Wales
Hot on the heels of the government announcing last week that the first same sex marriage ceremonies in England and Wales will take place from 29 March 2014, The Review (journal published by Resolution, the association of UK family lawyers) has published an article...
NGA’s autumn of public speaking
It has been a busy few months for our whole team speaking at events and seminars across the UK and abroad. AAARTA (the American Academy of Assisted Reproduction Attorneys) hosted a conference on assisted reproduction law in Charleston, USA on 10-12 November, bringing...
High Court rules in favour of parents through surrogacy, despite irregularities in the US
In a High Court decision published last week Mrs Justice Theis warned intended parents of the importance of ensuring appropriate legal advice is obtained in the particular foreign destination, as well as at home. This reflects the reality that there is no...
NGA on BBC News – UK parents expecting four ‘twiblings’ through surrogacy in India
The BBC has reported a surrogacy case involving a British couple who are anticipating the birth of four babies through surrogacy – two sets of twins being carried simultaneously by two Indian surrogate mothers. Natalie was interviewed for the piece, by Poonam...
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