International Surrogacy Forum Programme

Programme

27 and 28 June 2019, Cambridge, England

Day 1: Selwyn College: The Diamond

08:45-9:15: Registration and Morning Coffee

9:15-9:45: Welcome and Introductions: Jens M. Scherpe (CFL), Anne-Marie Hutchinson (IAFL), Richard Vaughn (ABA)

9:45-10:00: Nick Hopkins, Law Commissioner, Law Commission of England and Wales - The Law Commission’s project on the reform of the law on surrogacy

Part I – The Prohibitive Approach

Chair: Wilma Eusman (Advocatenkantoor De Binnenstad, Amsterdam)

10:00-10:20: Germany – Anatol Dutta (LMU Munich)

10:20-10:30: Commentator: Caroline Mécary (Avocate aux barreaux de Paris et du Québec, Paris/France)

10:30-10:40: The Personal Experience: Mennesson Family 

10:40-11:10: Discussion

11:10-11:30: Coffee Break

Part II – The Tolerant Approach

Chair: Judge Alexandra Harland (Federal Circuit Court of Australia)

11:30-11:50: United Kingdom – Claire Fenton-Glynn (Cambridge, UK)

11:50-12:00: Commentator: Colin Rogerson (Dawson Cornwell, London, UK)

12:10-12:20: The Personal Experience: Rachel Kapila

12:20-12:50: Discussion

12:50-14:00: Lunch

Part III – The Free Market Approach

Chair: Judge Amy M. Pellman (Superior Court of California, USA)

14:00-14:20: Courtney G. Joslin (UC Davis School of Law)

14:20-14:30: Commentator: Steve Snyder (Steven H. Snyder & Associates, Minnesota, USA)

14:30-14:40: The Personal Experience: Erika Fuchs

14:40-15:10: Discussion

15:10-15:30: Coffee Break

Part IV – The Regulatory Approach

Chair: The Honourable Belinda van Heerden (Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa 2004-2013)

15:30-15:50: South Africa – Julia Sloth-Nielsen (Western Cape, South Africa/Leiden, The Netherlands)

15:50-16:10: Commentator and Personal Experience: Robynne Friedman (Robynne Friedman Attorneys, Johannesburg, South Africa)

16:10-16:40: Discussion

16:40-17:00: Summary: First impressions, and looking forward to tomorrow - Richard Vaughn (ABA)

19:00: Drinks Reception, followed by conference dinner in Selwyn College Hall.

Day 2: Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

08:30-9:00: Registration and Morning Coffee

Part V – The Reality – Empirical Research Findings

Chair: Sital Kalantry (Cornell Law School)

9:00-9:30: Susan Golombok (Cambridge/UK) Families formed through surrogacy: A longitudinal study from infancy to adolescence

9:30-10:00: Vasanti Jadva (Cambridge/UK) The psychological wellbeing of surrogates and their families

10:00-10:30: Lopamudra Goswami (Griffiths University/Australia) Understanding the perspectives of Indian surrogate mothers on surrogacy

10:30-10:45: Coffee Break

10:45-11:00: Debra Wilson (Canterbury/New Zealand) The public perspective: empirical research into opinions on surrogacy in New Zealand

11:00-11:30: Discussion for Part V

Part VI – The International Dimension

Chair: Anne-Marie Hutchinson (IAFL)

11:30-11:50: Michael Wells-Greco (Charles Russell Speechlys SA, Geneva/Switzerland) The work of the Hague Conference on surrogacy

11:50-12:10: Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography) The work of the UN on surrogacy

12:10-12:30: Discussion

Part VII - The Way Forward – General discussion

Chair: Nick Hopkins, Law Commissioner, Law Commission of England and Wales

12:30-13:30: The Way Forward – General discussion 

Panellists: Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography), Michael Wells-Greco (Charles Russell Speechlys SA, Geneva/Switzerland), Sital Kalantry (Cornell Law School), Dame Lucy Morgan Theis DBE (High Court of England and Wales)

13:30-13:45: Sir James Munby: Concluding remarks

13:45: Conference end