As a society, Australia has a proud history of helping those less fortunate. Unfortunately, our rules and regulations around Family Building – adoption, surrogacy and egg donation can make it difficult for that altruism to manifest itself. Access to all these for the involuntarily infertile remains hopelessly inadequate.
Each year many thousands of Australians struggle to build family. Lack of ability to compensate donors or surrogates means many continue to source solutions abroad. Yet the Ukraine war and ongoing fallout from the pandemic mean offshore options are harder to find, more expensive and often risky. Australia’s 12th national consumer conference on alternative family building pathways in June will see hundreds of infertile singles and couples grappling with these issues.
Family Building Event Topics Include:
- Uterine Transplant – What Does the Future Hold? Including gynaecologistDr. Rebecca Deans and a recent NSW patient whose failed surrogacy journey led her to new uterus after Dr Deans groundbreaking surgery
- Humour as a survival tool – Sarah Maree Cameron, cancer & endometriosis survivor and now surrogacy candidate
- Who’d be a surrogate? – In Australia some have done over a dozen transfers. In the US, some have carried over ten babies. Given the morning sickness, weight gain, fatigue & unending medical appointments, what motivates them and why aren’t their recipients always honest?
- Am I going to F Up My Kids? – six older kids/young adults via egg donation or surrogacy talk about what they were told and when, what they tell others and their sense of self
- Hostage Embryos & the Nanny State– Why won’t Australian clinics release patients embryos if they mention surrogacy?
The two day conference features 50 speakers, and 12 panel discussions, including not only doctors but lawyers, psychologists, couriers, egg donors, surrogates, parents via surrogacy, parents via egg donation and older children born via these methods. It brings together experts from Australia, the US, Canada, Georgia and Argentina.
Read more about the topics and speakers at the Growing Families Annual Conference in Melbourne.
Don’t Miss Out – Book Tickets Now!!!