Hennepin County Adoption Law Blog

Every year RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association, puts together an advocacy event at the Minnesota State Capitol enlisting the help of surrogates, intended parents, professionals in the infertility field, and anyone who has ever been affected by infertility, whether personally or by association, to come together and educate each of their respective legislators and senators on surrogacy and the need for proper regulation to ensure that all parties involved are adequately protected.

Currently, there are no laws in Minnesota that govern surrogacy arrangements, thus making Minnesota unclear as to the rights and responsibilities of surrogates, intended parents, and the children born as the result of these arrangements. This puts Minnesota behind the nationwide trend as 24 states in the past 30 years have created new laws to support surrogacy. The Gestational Carrier Act (HF2593/SF707) was introduced this year to try and address this need for state regulations surrounding surrogacy arrangements.

More and more men and women are starting to come forward and share their own stories of infertility. For the millions of men and women affected by infertility, these stories can really help to show they are not alone and that this is something many people -- more than they may even realize -- deal with too.

Along with these stories of infertility, many are also sharing stories of surrogacy -- both from the perspective of the surrogate carrying the child to the parents anxiously awaiting the birth.

Whether you want to help a friend or family member or just want to help someone you have never met, there are many reasons why you may be considering donating your eggs. In order to help you make up your mind on how to proceed, we will discuss a few facts of ovum donation.

While tax season is still a few months away, for those spending money on costly medical procedures, the question of just how much your taxes are going to be and what is going to be deductible is always looming in the background.

For tax purposes, the Internal Revenue Service allows for the deduction of medical expenses for medical expenses incurred to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent an illness or injury. The specific rule is that you can deduct the dollar amount for unreimbursed medical expenses that goes beyond 10 percent of your adjusted gross income. For example, if you make $90,000 a year, you can deduct anything that goes above $9,000 in unreimbursed medical expenses.