Men Having Babies East Coast Gay Parenting Conference & Expo (September 18-19) at Westin New York at Times Square
The complex process and highly personal nature of surrogacy parenting requires an immersive and personal experience, and a comprehensive educational agenda that is beyond the attention span of virtual events.
NEW YORK (PRWEB)
September 14, 2021
The nonprofit organization Men Having Babies (MHB) travels each year to a number of cities across the U.S. and internationally to share a wealth of knowledge with gay men aspiring to become parents. These events include peer guidance, expert advice, information about financing and grants, inspirational testimonies from surrogates and fathers, and an opportunity to meet dozens of reputable surrogacy providers.
However, besides one conference in Taiwan where COVID-19 was kept at bay, MHB was unable to hold such events since the beginning of the pandemic. “We used specialized virtual conference technology to offer guidance to the best of our abilities,” said Ron Poole-Dayan, MHB’s Executive Director. “However, the complex process and highly personal nature of surrogacy parenting requires an immersive and personal experience, and a comprehensive educational agenda that is beyond the attention span of virtual events.”
“Now that the audiences are returning to Broadway, and the crowds to the US Open, we feel it is time to find a model that will allow us to go back to full operation while meeting the challenges of the new public health reality we face for many months to come,” said Jenny Congiardo, MHB’s Director of Operations. “By requiring full vaccination and masking, providing onsite testing, and using careful catering practices, we are able to safely educate and engage gay men who want to begin this amazing journey to fatherhood.”
Dr. Said Daneshmand of San Diego Fertility Center, a Platinum Sponsor at the Conference, said: “During these challenging times around the globe, MHB continues to be steadfast in guiding and supporting future parents in their ever-present quest to form their families. It is our honor and privilege to accompany them on this journey of love.” His colleague, Dr. Susanna Park added: “We are proud to be an active supporter of MHB, and we will continue to pivot, as needed, to make MHB’s members’ dreams of having a family come true.”
Along with the East Coast conference in NY, MHB is also bringing back, its Midwest conference (Chicago, October 9), and the Parenting Options for European Gay Men conference (Brussels, November 6-7). Judging from the robust attendee registration rate for all three events, there is indeed much pent-up demand worldwide from gay men who’ve been putting their dreams of family building on hold. “Please don’t cancel this event and change it to a virtual conference. I look forward to meeting experts in-person,” stated one of many encouragements MHB received.
The two-day event will kick off with workshops and panels that compare the destinations where gay men can find surrogates to help them become parents, and provide guidance on how to plan a surrogacy journey. Special attention will be given to the new opportunities brought about by the recent NY Surrogacy Reform.
“Our goal is not to persuade anyone to become a parent through surrogacy, but to help them better understand if this is the right option for them, and to make the process more accessible and easier,” said attorney Victoria Ferrara, the owner of Platinum Sponsor Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists, and a gay parent herself.
Given MHB’s primary advocacy goal to broaden access to affordable parenting options for gay men, several sessions will be dedicated to ways prospective parents can budget smartly, take advantage of financial assistance and member discounts by MHB, and opportunities to receive coverage of surrogacy related medical costs as part of employee benefits or state-mandated insurance.
On the Friday before the conference (September 17), we will once again host the Advocacy & Research Forum, to discuss the social, ethical, legal and empirical aspects of surrogacy and LGBT parenting. The topic this year will be the Intensified Commercialization of the Surrogacy Field.
Proceeds from the conference’s sponsorship fees benefit MHB’s Gay Parenting Assistance Program (GPAP), which provides dozens of prospective parents with over a million dollars’ worth of cash grants, discounts and free services on an annual basis, from over 100 leading service providers. The majority of the 39 exhibitors at the MHB East Coast conference are supporters of GPAP, as well as the organization’s Membership Benefits Program, including Platinum sponsors San Diego Fertility Center and Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists, and Gold conference sponsors: Circle Surrogacy, IARC Surrogacy, California Fertility Partners, Same Love Surrogacy, ORM Fertility, Fertility Specialists of Texas, Creative Family Connections, Simple Surrogacy, Western Fertility Institute, Surro Connections, Canadian Surrogacy Options, RMA of CT, Alcea Surrogacy, Gift of Life Surrogacy, American Fertility Services, and New England Fertility Institute.
Registration for the Men Having Babies East Coast Surrogacy Conference & Gay Parenting Expo and more information is now available at menhavingbabies.org/ny.
Note: Interviews with parents, prospective parents, surrogates and experts can be arranged by request
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