Men Having Babies Returns to New York for the 19th Annual Surrogacy Conference and Expo, September 30 – October 1, 2023: Guiding Gay Men Seeking Fatherhood
New York, NY, September 07, 2023 --(PR.com)-- In what is by now a NYC tradition, hundreds of gay men are expected to gather at the Westin New York at Times Square this fall to learn how they can have children through egg donation and surrogacy. With expanded education, financial assistance and advocacy outreach, the nonprofit Men Having Babies (MHB) is a leading voice for equality and equity for gay fathers in the United States and beyond. Registration and more information is available at menhavingbabies.org/ny
The organization’s renown conferences, which now include locations such as San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Brussels, and Berlin, are modeled on a program that started at New York City’s LGBT Center 18 years ago. They evolved into a three-day event where the organization’s staff and board members, the majority of whom are fathers or former surrogates, share a wealth of knowledge with gay men aspiring to become fathers. Attendees benefit from peer guidance, expert advice, information about financing, grants and resources, inspirational testimonies, and an opportunity to meet dozens of reputable surrogacy providers.
The September 29 – October 1 New York conference will begin Friday with a “Surrogacy 101” session that explains the basics of a surrogacy journey to help dispel myths and misconceptions. On Saturday, attendees dive deeper into the medical, legal, and financial aspects of surrogacy, including guidance on how to make informed decisions. Other sessions include specific guidance for single dads-to-be, and shared perspectives of gay dads, surrogates, an egg donor, and a discussion panel of teens who were born via surrogacy.
Attorney Vicki Ferrera of Worldwide Surrogacy, A Platinum Sponsor at the event, said: "The New York Men Having Babies conference is an exciting and amazing event for intended parents. There are so many knowledgeable and caring professionals ready to provide support and information on surrogacy and the medical process for making embryos and having children through surrogacy. Worldwide Surrogacy is proud to be the NY platinum agency sponsor. We love this work. We love that we can be partners in creating loving families."
MHB's primary advocacy goal is to broaden access to affordable and ethical parenting options for gay men. The focus on affordability is the drive for MHB’s advocacy campaign for Fertility Equality. In New York State, MHB is advancing legislation along with a coalition of other nonprofits such as RESOLVE – the national infertility organization, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), that could make the cost of building a family for gay men considerably lower. The bill (S6118 / A6177) will amend the insurance law in the state that currently offers IVF coverage to heterosexual couples as well as to female couples and single women – but excludes single men or same-sex male couples. The bill did not make it to a vote in 2023, but MHB is determined to bring it back in 2024 with renewed public support.
With a growing number of its member already having school-age children, the organization’s advocacy work is also turning to the concern of the protection of gay dads’ children at schools. In New York State, for instance, while LGBTQ+ students are protected from discrimination in the Dignity for All Students Act – children of LGBTQ+ parents are not considered as a minority who deserve to be mentioned or protected in any way. “Not only does the law ignore the reality that kids are likely to be exposed to bullying, discrimination or misunderstanding because of their family structure,” said Ron Poole-Dayan, MHB’s Executive Director, “but schools are also missing an opportunity to use the example of these families to ease the social isolation of non-confirmative children.”
MHB’s advocacy involvement will be reflected in several sessions at the upcoming conference in New York. A session about “Social Attitudes Towards Surrogacy” will be dedicated to examining surrogacy ethics and cultural biases that allow the tolerance of legislation and practices that discriminate against gay fathers. Other sessions will be dedicated to ways in which prospective fathers can make the process more affordable. Topics will include how to budget smartly, how to take advantage of financial assistance and member discounts by MHB, and opportunities that are available to receive coverage of surrogacy-related medical costs as a part of employee benefits or state-mandated insurance.
Dr. Susanna Park of San Diego Fertility Center, a Platinum Sponsor at the conference, said: “There is so much knowledge to gain at these conferences from medical clinics, egg donor agencies, surrogacy agencies, and lawyers. I hope this knowledge will empower and inspire prospective dads in their journey to fatherhood. It is a privilege to walk this journey with them. As a long-standing supporter of Men Having Babies, I am proud that our sponsorship allows the organization to host conferences, whereby we can share knowledge about egg donor/surrogacy with men who dream of becoming fathers.”
Proceeds from the conference’s sponsorship fees benefit MHB’s Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP), which provides dozens of prospective parents with over a million dollars’ worth of cash grants, discounts, and free services on an annual basis, from over 140 leading service providers.
In addition to supporting MHB’s mission of educating about the surrogacy process, the majority of the 40 exhibitors at the MHB East Coast conference share the mission to help make family building accessible by offering support through the Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP) and participating in the Membership Benefits Program, including Platinum sponsors Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists and San Diego Fertility Center, Gold Sponsors: Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation, California Fertility Partners, Simple Surrogacy, IVF Michigan & Ohio, IARC Surrogacy, Creative Family Connections, Fertility Specialists of Texas, Victory Reproductive Care, Hatch Egg Donation & Surrogacy, Weill Cornell Medicine, Reproductive Centers of America, Spring Fertility, Northwest Surrogacy Center, Surro Connections, Elevate Surrogacy, CCRM Fertility, RMA of New York, New England Fertility Institute, Illume Fertility, All Love Surrogacy, Create Fertility Centre, Fairfax EggBank.
The Men Having Babies Surrogacy Conference and Expo is in New York City, September 29 - October 1 at the Westin New York at Times Square. For more information and tickets: menhavingbabies.org/ny
The organization’s renown conferences, which now include locations such as San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Brussels, and Berlin, are modeled on a program that started at New York City’s LGBT Center 18 years ago. They evolved into a three-day event where the organization’s staff and board members, the majority of whom are fathers or former surrogates, share a wealth of knowledge with gay men aspiring to become fathers. Attendees benefit from peer guidance, expert advice, information about financing, grants and resources, inspirational testimonies, and an opportunity to meet dozens of reputable surrogacy providers.
The September 29 – October 1 New York conference will begin Friday with a “Surrogacy 101” session that explains the basics of a surrogacy journey to help dispel myths and misconceptions. On Saturday, attendees dive deeper into the medical, legal, and financial aspects of surrogacy, including guidance on how to make informed decisions. Other sessions include specific guidance for single dads-to-be, and shared perspectives of gay dads, surrogates, an egg donor, and a discussion panel of teens who were born via surrogacy.
Attorney Vicki Ferrera of Worldwide Surrogacy, A Platinum Sponsor at the event, said: "The New York Men Having Babies conference is an exciting and amazing event for intended parents. There are so many knowledgeable and caring professionals ready to provide support and information on surrogacy and the medical process for making embryos and having children through surrogacy. Worldwide Surrogacy is proud to be the NY platinum agency sponsor. We love this work. We love that we can be partners in creating loving families."
MHB's primary advocacy goal is to broaden access to affordable and ethical parenting options for gay men. The focus on affordability is the drive for MHB’s advocacy campaign for Fertility Equality. In New York State, MHB is advancing legislation along with a coalition of other nonprofits such as RESOLVE – the national infertility organization, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), that could make the cost of building a family for gay men considerably lower. The bill (S6118 / A6177) will amend the insurance law in the state that currently offers IVF coverage to heterosexual couples as well as to female couples and single women – but excludes single men or same-sex male couples. The bill did not make it to a vote in 2023, but MHB is determined to bring it back in 2024 with renewed public support.
With a growing number of its member already having school-age children, the organization’s advocacy work is also turning to the concern of the protection of gay dads’ children at schools. In New York State, for instance, while LGBTQ+ students are protected from discrimination in the Dignity for All Students Act – children of LGBTQ+ parents are not considered as a minority who deserve to be mentioned or protected in any way. “Not only does the law ignore the reality that kids are likely to be exposed to bullying, discrimination or misunderstanding because of their family structure,” said Ron Poole-Dayan, MHB’s Executive Director, “but schools are also missing an opportunity to use the example of these families to ease the social isolation of non-confirmative children.”
MHB’s advocacy involvement will be reflected in several sessions at the upcoming conference in New York. A session about “Social Attitudes Towards Surrogacy” will be dedicated to examining surrogacy ethics and cultural biases that allow the tolerance of legislation and practices that discriminate against gay fathers. Other sessions will be dedicated to ways in which prospective fathers can make the process more affordable. Topics will include how to budget smartly, how to take advantage of financial assistance and member discounts by MHB, and opportunities that are available to receive coverage of surrogacy-related medical costs as a part of employee benefits or state-mandated insurance.
Dr. Susanna Park of San Diego Fertility Center, a Platinum Sponsor at the conference, said: “There is so much knowledge to gain at these conferences from medical clinics, egg donor agencies, surrogacy agencies, and lawyers. I hope this knowledge will empower and inspire prospective dads in their journey to fatherhood. It is a privilege to walk this journey with them. As a long-standing supporter of Men Having Babies, I am proud that our sponsorship allows the organization to host conferences, whereby we can share knowledge about egg donor/surrogacy with men who dream of becoming fathers.”
Proceeds from the conference’s sponsorship fees benefit MHB’s Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP), which provides dozens of prospective parents with over a million dollars’ worth of cash grants, discounts, and free services on an annual basis, from over 140 leading service providers.
In addition to supporting MHB’s mission of educating about the surrogacy process, the majority of the 40 exhibitors at the MHB East Coast conference share the mission to help make family building accessible by offering support through the Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP) and participating in the Membership Benefits Program, including Platinum sponsors Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists and San Diego Fertility Center, Gold Sponsors: Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation, California Fertility Partners, Simple Surrogacy, IVF Michigan & Ohio, IARC Surrogacy, Creative Family Connections, Fertility Specialists of Texas, Victory Reproductive Care, Hatch Egg Donation & Surrogacy, Weill Cornell Medicine, Reproductive Centers of America, Spring Fertility, Northwest Surrogacy Center, Surro Connections, Elevate Surrogacy, CCRM Fertility, RMA of New York, New England Fertility Institute, Illume Fertility, All Love Surrogacy, Create Fertility Centre, Fairfax EggBank.
The Men Having Babies Surrogacy Conference and Expo is in New York City, September 29 - October 1 at the Westin New York at Times Square. For more information and tickets: menhavingbabies.org/ny
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Men Having Babies
Yan Dekel
1 775-505-1692
https://menhavingbabies.org
Yan Dekel
1 775-505-1692
https://menhavingbabies.org
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