The Legal Ins and Outs of Surrogacy with Yifat Shaltiel

For couples who can’t carry their own child, surrogacy is a viable option. And yet, the law in many states recognizes the surrogate as the legal mother and forces intended parents to work through the adoption process. So, how does surrogacy work? And how is the legislation changing in New York?

Yifat Shaltiel is the Founder and Attorney-Director of Surrogate Steps, an agency that helps individuals of all family types become parents through surrogacy. An expert on surrogacy and reproductive law, Yifat has been featured on MSNBC and Fox News, presented at Cornell University and the Women’s Bar Association of New York State, and testified for the New York State Legislature.

On this episode of Divorce Dialogues, Yifat joins Katherine to discuss how the laws around surrogacy are changing in New York, describing the risks intended parents faced up until now and how the new legislation makes the process easier. She explains the technology used in in vetro fertilization or IVF and shares her experience around one parent being genetically related to the child while the other is not. Listen in for Yifat’s insight on the emotions associated with having a baby through surrogacy and learn how an agency like Surrogate Steps matches intended parents with a surrogate they can trust.