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No wife needed: Single Men Can Become Dads through Surrogacy, Moscow Court Says.

On August 04th, 2010 Babushkinsky District Court decided that single man who applied for gestational surrogacy (donor eggs were used) can be registered as father of his new born “surrogate” child. Surrogate’s name won’t be listed on the birth certificate. The First Single Dad Through Surrogacy in Russia was represented in Court by lawyers of the Rosjurconsulting law firm, specializing in reproductive law and surrogacy. The Moscow Court’s landmark decision confirmed once more: single intended parents regardless of their sex or sexual orientation can implement their right for parenthood through surrogacy in Russia. Such world famous bachelors as singer Ricky Martin and football player Christiano Ronaldo already became fathers with help of American surrogate mothers.

This unique program was arranged by Vita Nova IVF clinic based in Moscow.

Court decision is not required for registration of a surrogate child born for a single woman. After a series of landmark decisions obliging Birth Registrar Offices to register children born to single women within the frames of a gestational surrogacy program ruled by Russian Courts (suitor’s interests were represented by the «Rosjurconsulting»’s lawyers), Russian Birth Registrar Offices started registering unmarried women’s children even before any judicial decrees might be taken.

Thus, on the 13th of January 2010 Velikiy Novgorod Birth Registrar Office Department registered a surrogate child born to a single resident of Novgorod Region on the date of appeal. Her interests were represented by the «Rosjurconsulting»’s lawyers who informed the Birth Registrar Office’s officials of the law enforcement practice and respective judicial decisions.

www.surrogacy.ru information service.

September 23-24, 2009 - Konstantin Svitnev, the General Manager of Rosjurconsulting, delivered two reports at the 10th International Congress on Reproductive Biomedicine (September 23-25, 2009) in Teheran. The reports were devoted to the legal status of surrogacy since the ancient times up to these days, as well as to the legal and ethic aspects of posthumous reproduction.

A single woman was recognized as mother of her “surrogate” baby.
On August 5, 2009 the Kalininsky Regional Court of St. Petersburg obliged the Birth Registrar Office to register a child born through a gestational surrogacy programme for an unmarried woman with putting her name on the child’s birth certificate as mother. The Court decided that the Birth Registrar Office’s denial to register the plaintiff’s baby was not legitimate. The plaintiff’s interests in Court were represented by the Rosjurconsulting company lawyers. This case won in the St. Petersburg Court proved once more the fact that single women are entitled to apply for surrogacy programmes in Russia.

Konstantin Svitnev, Rosjurconsulting General Manager, will participate in the All-Russian Scientific Conference ‘Contemporary Look at the Russian Constitution and Doctrines’, arranged by the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Konstantin Svitnev, Rosjurconsulting General Manager, participated in a round table discussion held in the Russian State Duma (Lower House of the Russian Parliament) devoted to the Russian Family Law. Mr. Svitnev spoke about legal regulations of supplementary reproductive technologies as way to stabilise the state family and demographic policy.

Opening the meeting, the State Duma vice-president Nadezhda Gerasimova pointed out the global financial crisis couldn’t become a pretext to neglect improving the Family Law. ‘The destiny of the Russian Federation depends strictly on this little social cell’, she said.

Yelena Mizulina, Chairperson of the Committee for Family, Women and Children, highlighted the importance of setting up a special council at the Russian President’s Office or an inter-departmental commission that could develop a complex approach to solve family problems. She also said a conception of legal family protection should be worked out to improve the legislation in this legal field.

On January 16, 2009 Konstantin Svitnev, Rosjurconsulting General Manager, participated in the Public Mirror TV programme devoted to surrogacy. The programme was broadcast live by one of the major Spanish channels Antena 3.

October, 6, 2008 – Konstantin Svitnev, Rosjurconsulting General Manager, participated in a round table discussion held in the Russian State Duma (Lower House of the Russian Parliament). The discussion concerned the legal regulation of reproductive technologies in Russia. Mr. Svitnev’s report was devoted to the right of single people to reproduction.

On August 1 2007, Rosjurconsulting was awarded the status of agency at the Moscow Union of Lawyers.

Konstantin Svitnev, Rosjurconsulting General Manager, suggested that the 25th of July should be celebrated as the professional day of reproductologists in honor of the birth of the first in vitro child, Louise Brown, born on the 25th of July in 1978.

June 1, 2007 – Mr. Svitnev participated in a TV programme Private life on Rossiya channel. The talk was devoted to surrogate mothers.

The International Children’s Day (ICD) is celebrated in numerous countries, usually (but not always) on June 1 every year.

The ICD had its origin in the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children in Geneva, Switzerland in 1925.It is not clear as to why June 1 was chosen as the ICD: one theory has it that the Chinese consul-general in San Francisco (USA) gathered a number of Chinese orphans to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in 1925, which happened to be on June 1 that year, and also coincided with the conference in Geneva.

June 1 has since been observed as the ICD by numerous countries, especially by Communist countries; in the Western world the ICD is usually celebrated on other days of the year (if at all), and there is often little public awareness about these celebrations.Consequently there is sometimes a misperception that June 1 as the ICD was a Communist invention. Nonetheless, in recent years even some groups within the United States started observing the ICD on June 1.

Universal Children’s Day. Since December 14, 1954, United Nations and UNESCO observes 20 November as the Universal Children’s Day "to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. "Since December 14, 1954, United Nations and UNESCO observes 20 November as the Universal Children’s Day "to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children.It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world."

Konstantin Svitnev will give a live interview about prenatal adoption as guest of Radio Rossii's Osoboye Mneniye (Differing View) show at 3:30 PM on Friday, June 1. The talk will be devoted to pros and contras of prenatal adoption and Mr. Svitnev will answer the listeners’ questions and express his opinion on the matter.

Rosjurconsulting has drafted a bill Assisted Reproductive Technology and Guarantees for Citizens’ Reproductive Rights.

Medical experts, ethicists, jurists and the broad public are welcomed to participate in the bill’s discussion before it is referred to a committee in the State Duma this October.

Please, sign in to get a copy of the bill.

Konstantin Svitnev will speak about surrogacy in a live interview for Radio Rossii's Osoboye Mneniye (Differing View) show at 2:30 PM on Wednesday, May 23. The talk will concern legal and ethical aspects of surrogacy and Mr. Svitnev will answer the listeners’ questions.

Konstantin Svitnev will speak on ART regulation in Russia and in other countries at 4th International Congress Reproductive Technology Issues: Problems and Solutions on May17. The forum will be held at the Russian Medical Technologies Research Centre for Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Perinatology at Academic Oparin St. 4 in Moscow from May 17–19, pursuant to Order #217 from April 2 issued by the Russian Ministry of Healthcare.

On May 22, 2007 the Italian television channel RAI Tre will internationally broadcast Roads of Love programme, devoted to surrogacy in Italy. You will see an interview with Konstantin Svitnev, Rosjurconsulting General Manager, and a psychologist specialising in surrogacy. You will have a rare opportunity to watch a day of a Russian surrogate mother’s life. The programme was partially shot at the Rosjurconsulting office in Moscow and at a Moscow reproduction clinic.

Konstantin Svitnev will take part in Zhensky Vecher TV programme on the Pyatyi channel on April 13. The topic of the programme will be ‘A Mother for Rent’.