Blog

Alternatives to Family Trees, Baby Albums and Heritage Projects at School

Posted By
Brian Esser
If you are an adoptive parent, you are not alone if you dread school Family Tree projects or “When I Was a Baby” assignments. When my oldest son Keith started Pre-K, I thought we would have a little grace time before we ran into one of those. But… Read More
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Categories: Adoption, Blog, My Family, Open Adoption
Tags: adoption, adoptive parents, birth parents, donor conception, foster care, gestational surrogacy, intended parents, inter-country adoption, My family, school

Second-Parent Adoptions - Advanced Issues

Posted By
Brian Esser
I recently wrote about why married same-sex couples, particularly female couples who conceive their child using anonymous donor sperm, still should complete a second-parent adoption. I want to look at some other forms of family formation here, and ad… Read More
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Categories: Assisted Reproductive Technology, Blog, LGBT Families, Second-Parent Adoption
Tags: LGBT families, second-parent adoption, sperm donation, surrogacy, transgender families

Second-parent adoptions: Do I still need to do one after Obergefell?

Posted By
Brian Esser
The question comes up eventually. Whether I am doing a talk specifically for LGBT parents or at a meet-up of same-sex families like mine, a mother will ask me: Do I really need to do a second-parent adoption? Still? The “still” is because of Ober… Read More
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Categories: Blog, LGBT Families, Second-Parent Adoption
Tags: Child-Parent Security Act, LGBT families, Obergefell, second-parent adoption

Religious Freedom Laws and the License to Discriminate

Posted By
Brian Esser
This post originally appeared in the Expert Advice section on the great site Gays with Kids. I was in my office this past June when the Supreme Court (finally) held that the right to marry extends to same-sex couples with the Obergefell decision. I w… Read More
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Categories: Adoption, Blog, LGBT Families
Tags: adoption, Alabama, foster care, Human Rights Campaign, Kentucky, Kim Davis, LGBT families, Michigan, Mississippi, Obergefell, religion and ethics, religious freedom laws, RFRA, South Dakota, Virginia

Four Things You Must Put in Your Adoption Profile

Posted By
Brian Esser
Making an adoption profile seems overwhelming when you are first putting it together. It’s easy to get lost in choosing the perfect picture or just the right words. Here are four simple tips that will help you find your way: 1. New pictures Sur… Read More
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Categories: Adoption, Adoption Profiles, Blog
Tags: adoption, adoptive parents

What the Recent SCOTUS Ruling Means for New Yorkers

Posted By
Brian Esser
This post originally ran on the blog of the New York Legal Assistance Group, and was co-authored with staff attorney Anya Mukarji-Connolly. The historic United States Supreme Court ruling that has legalized same-sex marriage sends a strong message of… Read More
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Categories: Blog, LGBT Families, Second-Parent Adoption
Tags: adoption, Child-Parent Security Act, inter-country adoption, Louisiana, marriage equality, Mississippi, Obergefell, second-parent adoption, Texas

Brian is now licensed to practice law in Wisconsin

Posted By
Brian Esser
I am pleased to announce that I am now licensed to practice law in Wisconsin. I look forward to working with New York families who are building their families through surrogacy in Illinois and Wisconsin – two states with favorable laws for inte… Read More
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Categories: Firm News, Gestational Surrogacy, My Family
Tags: firm news, surrogacy, Wisconsin

Top 12 Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Stories of 2014 - Part 2

Posted By
Brian Esser
As promised, here is the second part of my round up of the biggest stories of the year. Follow me on Twitter, where I post almost every day, for all of the latest news as it happens. 7. Thailand abruptly halts international surrogacy. Amid reports of… Read More
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Categories: Adoption, Assisted Reproductive Technology, Celebrities, Estate Planning, LGBT Families, Uncategorized
Tags: adoption, Bill Horn, estate planning, Family Equality Council, France, frozen embryos, Germany, Guncles, Indiana, inter-country adoption, international surrogacy, Kyrgzstan, LGBT families, Richard Posner, Scout Masterson, Spain, Texas, Thailand, Vietnam, Wisconsin, Year in Review

Top 12 Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Stories of 2014 - Part 1

Posted By
Brian Esser
This has been a big year for adoption and assisted reproduction in the news. Here is the first half the run down of the biggest stories of 2014. To stay on top of all of the latest news, follow me on Twitter. 1. Jimmy Fallon welcomes a second daughte… Read More
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Categories: Adoption, Assisted Reproductive Technology, Celebrities, Egg Donation, Gestational Surrogacy, Sperm Donation
Tags: adoption, celebrities, Charlize Theron, egg donation, Jason Patric, Jimmy Fallon, New Hampshire, sperm donation, surrogacy, US citizenship, Wisconsin, Year in Review

Second-Parent Adoption Following Surrogacy

Posted By
Brian Esser
I’ve written before about why a non-biological parent in married same-sex couples should complete second adoption, even if both parents are on named on the child’s birth certificate. Most families have no trouble getting a court to grant the adop… Read More
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Categories: Assisted Reproductive Technology, Gestational Surrogacy, LGBT Families, Second-Parent Adoption
Tags: assisted reproductive technology, gestational surrogacy, India, international surrogacy, LGBT families, second-parent adoption, surrogacy
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