Assemblymember Amy Paulin met with lawmakers and advocates last week in Albany, including Bravo TV’s Andy Cohen who became a father through surrogacy, to discuss the Child Parent Security Act and to urge Assembly members to support its passage.
Paulin, who is sponsor of the bill in the Assembly, said: “I am grateful for the efforts of my Senate partner, Brad Hoylman, the leadership of Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo, and the passionate and personal advocacy of so many new parents and champions of LGBTQ rights, including Bravo’s Andy Cohen who is in Albany today to support the bill.
“It’s not enough for New York to catch up to where other states have been in terms of allowing same-sex and infertile couples to start their families through gestational surrogacy agreements,” she continued. “What we have proposed is the strongest possible law to protect parents, children, and surrogates. Our bill directly addresses the thorny legal questions that have frustrated New Yorkers dealing with out-of-state surrogacy arrangements and that have left either parents or surrogates with inadequate legal protection.
“Specifically, we’ve created a strong framework that amounts to a Surrogate’s Bill of Rights, including requirements for life insurance, coverage of health care costs for up to one year post-birth, providing an independent attorney to safeguard her through the process, and ensuring that all health and welfare decisions are made by the surrogate.
“No matter who you are or who you love, the promise of being able to marry your soul-mate and start a family with him or her is an indelible part of the American dream,” concluded Paulin. “I am hopeful my colleagues in the Assembly will likewise make a step forward this year to help both same-sex families and heterosexual families struggling with infertility by passing the Child Parent Security Act.”
Hoylman co-sponsored the bill, which passed in the Senate in June. The Child-Parent Security Act clarifies the issue of who is a parent and establishes clear legal procedures which ensure that each child’s relationship to his or her parents is legally recognized from birth, and will modernize New York law to support and protect families that utilize assisted reproductive technology, such as in-vitro fertilization or gestational surrogacy.
