HRC Fertility applauds Parents Magazine for featuring a family headed by a gay male couple, fitness guru Shaun T and husband Scott Blokker, on its cover. LGBTQ activists feel this is a significant step forward in mainstream acceptance of gay parenting.
The kids are alright
According to the Williams Institute School of Law, there were 700,000 co-habiting same-sex couples in the U.S. in 2016. 114,000 of these couples were raising children, including 28,000 male couples and 86,000 female couples.
Several academic studies have determined that children raised in same-sex families are ‘alright’ and doing fine. Australian researchers reviewed three decades of peer-reviewed literature to conclude that children brought up in same-sex-parented families did as well emotionally, socially and educationally as their peers. They found factors such as parenting quality, parental well being, and satisfactory relationships were more important variables than family structure. Another analysis from San Diego State University confirmed similar outcomes.
HRC Fertility has been at the forefront
Our clinic has been at the forefront of helping gay men and women become parents through assisted reproductive technologies. Gay men can use surrogacy and egg donation with in vitro fertilization (IVF). Lesbians can utilize our services for intrauterine insemination with donor sperm if they do not have fertility issues. They also can take advantage of more advanced techniques such as IVF, including reciprocal IVF where both partners can participate in the baby-making process, egg donation or surrogacy if our doctors identify fertility issues.
For many, the cost of care can be an obstacle since most insurance companies will not cover treatment for same-sex prospective parents. HRC Fertility works with would-be moms and dads to make the cost of treatment affordable through financing and payment plans, military discounts and discounts for multiple treatments. Also, an increasing number of forward-thinking companies are offering fertility benefits to all employees as a recruitment and retention tool, including gay men and women who want to use these incentives. Additionally, several nonprofit foundations offer grants and financial assistance to gay couples who are using assisted reproductive services.
California is surrogacy-friendly
As a California-based clinic, we are fortunate to be located in a state that has some of the strongest legal protections in the United States for intended parents via surrogacy. Intended parents can establish legal parentage rights before the birth of their child without having to undergo adoption proceedings, which they would need to do in other states. For gay males, this means both dads can have their names on their child’s birth certificate.
Congratulations to Parents Magazine, the cover family and all families built through love and with the help of fertility treatment, adoption or foster care!
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