Roia Barrios, P.A.

It was a pleasure to speak on WMNF Community Radio Midpoint to discuss the current legal and medical status of reproductive rights in Florida.

What Are The Legal & Medical Status of Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Technologies in Florida Today? MidPoint hosted surrogacy lawyer Roia Barrios and reproductive endocrinologist and OBGYN fertility specialist Dr. Carolina Sueldo M.D., for a very informative discussion reviewing the current legal and medical status of reproductive rights and assisted reproductive technologies. We discussed the new...

Like many areas of reproductive technology, surrogacy is subject to various ethical debates. However, analysts should strive to inform those debates with a clear picture of surrogacy’s risks and rewards. Given that gestational surrogacy results in the creation of a new person, any suggestion to restrict or limit gestational surrogacy should not be undertaken lightly.

For some parents, surrogacy makes having a child possible. Whether or not a couple utilizes surrogacy, US access to the practice keeps hope alive for both domestic and international couples pursuing fertility treatment.

Of course, creating new life has never been a risk‐​free endeavor. However, despite concerns raised by critics, evidence supports the idea that long‐​term outcomes for both gestational carriers and resulting children are predominantly positive.

Defending Gestational Surrogacy: Addressing Misconceptions and Criticisms Critiques do not reflect the relevant body of research, and critics minimize the substantial value of creating life.

Honored to be featured on both of these lists:

"For a starting point online, Oleaga recommends checking out the surrogacy law map from Creative Family Connections. The Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys also provides an attorney directory."

How Surrogacy Works Learn all of the basics of surrogacy, including how the process works, how much it costs and the legal aspects around it.

It was a pleasure to attend the The Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy - SEEDS conference in Irvine, California this weekend. I am proud to be a part of an organization that actively sets standards for professionals within field of surrogacy and egg donation.

Home SOCIETY FOR ETHICS IN EGG DONATION AND SURROGACY Have a voice in defining a set of ethical standards for egg donation and surrogacy. Have a voice in defining a set of ethical standards for egg donation and surrogacy. VIEW OUR MEMBERS Welcome to SEEDS Welcome to SEEDS SEEDS is a nonprofit

A substantial 12 percent of all IVF cycles in the U.S., about 16,000 a year, involve eggs retrieved from a donor, according to the CDC.

The Last Fertility Taboo Why many women still shy away from telling people they used an egg donor to conceive.

Tokophobia is an extreme fear of childbirth.

Many Women Have an Intense Fear of Childbirth, Survey Suggests Tokophobia, as it’s called, is not often studied in the United States. But a new survey finds that it may be very common, particularly among Black women and in disadvantaged communities.

New blog post up on current state of abortion laws in Florida:

Abortion in Florida (2023): A Primer | Roia Barrios Nearly fifty years after the United States Supreme Court held that a woman had afundamental right to choose whether to have an abortion without excessive governmentrestriction, the current makeup of the Court decided that no such fundamental right exists.In Dobbs v. Jackson, the Court overruled Roe....

Always proud of my dear friend and colleague SharnaTerese Cáceres

In the latest issue of 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙚, Sharna Cáceres, Esquire, dives into how LGBTQ+ couples can prepare for the journey of family building. In the article, Sharna shares some pretty incredible resources and tips that have proven invaluable to hundreds of prospective parents Cáceres Law Firm has served.
Make sure to check it out today! https://online.fliphtml5.com/dchey/qamj/?1681349971 =16

What a honor to join the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys.

Many fertility clinics require that all intended parents and donors engage separate reproductive attorneys to put in place agreements for all parties. This not only protects you and your parental rights, but your donor as well. These agreements are focused on the parental responsibilities for your future child

Meet the *new* Motherly Motherly is excited to announce an update to our products and features–free digital classes, a bookmarking feature and exclusive offers. Become a Motherly VIP member today. Category : News

I was honored to be recognized on TAMPA Magazine's Top Attorney List for 2023 in the practice area of Family Law: Adoption (Assisted Reproductive Technology).

Roia Barrios - Tampa Magazine Roia Barrios dedicates her practice to assisted reproductive technology law. “It’s a new, uncharted area,” she notes. “The laws are evolving with the technology, ethics and medicine — and we attorneys always evolve with them.” Barrios enjoys guiding couples and individuals to a future th...

When we discuss both adoption and surrogacy, we always make a point of telling our kids that no matter how they came into our family, the common bond between us all is that we were born and brought into our family out of love

How To Explain Surrogacy To Kids Experts share the best ways for parents to talk to their children about traditional and gestational surrogacy.

"There’s nothing political about what a woman’s body goes through, regardless of how they arrived at the situation,” Hirschhorn tells Vogue of the decision to expand the brand’s recovery kits to cover all stages of necessary care.....

This Pregnancy Loss Recovery Kit Is a Game-Changer Postpartum care brand Frida has introduced a recovery regimen for women experiencing pregnancy loss, including after a miscarriage or abortion.

When carried out transparently with safeguards in place, supporters say, commercial surrogacy allows people to expand their families while fairly compensating the women who give birth to the children. Done badly, the process can lead to the abuse of vulnerable people, whether the surrogates or the intended parents.

They Were Surrogates. Now They Must Raise the Children. In Cambodia’s weak legal system, surrogacy exists in a gray market, endangering all involved when political conditions suddenly shift and criminal charges follow.

👨🏿‍🤝‍👨🏼

https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/29/politics/same-s*x-marriage-vote-senate/index.html

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US use rainbow logo at Qatar World Cup in support of LGBTQ community The US men’s team are showing their support for the LGBTQ community by way of a rainbow-themed logo at their training facility in Qatar

How not to engage in s***m donation 🤝

“One le***an couple drove up from Philly and I handed it off to them in the car. Not my favorite way to do it, but it works. That baby was born yesterday. And I’ve got another one being induced in six hours. That’ll be my twelfth in two years. Then there’s three more on the way. I’m what they call a ‘known donor.’ It’s a whole community, a whole thing: there’s forums, websites, apps. It’s like a parallel economy. A viable s***m sample is $700—just for a little bit. And the fertility treatments can be thousands. Not everyone can afford it; that’s where I come in. Everything is kinda handshake. I don’t charge the mothers. And they don’t expect any financial support. As for the insemination—there’s different ways of going about it. Some use IVF. But it’s like fish. Fresh is better than frozen. Menstrual cups work well. I’d say 25 to 35 percent of the women I’ve actually had s*x with. There wasn’t romance, exactly. A couple times they’d never been with a male before. The last one said: ‘Let’s soldier up, and get it done.’ But not everyone meets my criteria. Some women want it to be anonymous; I don’t want that. I want to be involved. I explain to each one: ‘This child will be born into a larger family. I have eighteen other children.’ I’d like as many as God will give me. Why put your entire bloodline into one child when you can spread it out? Eighteen is a holy number in Judaism. And the next one is thirty-six, so I’ll reassess then. My ultimate goal is to find two or three of the mothers who will be sister wives, because I’m gonna need help with all this. But I know one thing: it will never be boring. It will be fun. I play in a softball league. And I’m hoping twenty years from now, I’ll be able to field an entire team of my kids.”

Takeways from this article:

1. Minorities donors are underrepresented;
2. Always have a legal agreement with your donor;
3. Do not have a rendezvous at a hotel with a potential donor.

America has a Black s***m donor shortage. Black women are paying the price. The shortage of Black donors is forcing Black women to make an agonizing choice: Choose a donor of another race or buy s***m from unregulated online groups.

On July 7, Chris Jacobs, a congressman for New York, introduced a bill called Steven’s Law, a federal law that would require egg and s***m donors to provide certain medical information. It would also require reproductive tissue banks to verify that information and provide it to recipients, doctors, and resulting donor-conceived persons. If it passes, the law would mandate that any donor report to the bank if they have s*xually transmitted infections at the time of donation; what, if any, medical conditions they have been diagnosed with, “including genetic disorders, schizophrenia, and other serious mental illnesses … and intellectual disabilities”; any familial medical conditions; and the name and contact info of any medical professional they’ve dealt with in the past five years.

Egg and S***m Donors Could Be Required to Share Medical Records In much of the US, donors aren’t obliged to disclose potentially inheritable health conditions. A proposed law could change that.

Friday science lesson

Most human embryos naturally die after conception – restrictive abortion laws fail to take this embryo loss into account Human embryos are far more likely to die than come to term, an evolutionary trait seen across species. Laws granting personhood at conception ignore built-in embryo loss, with potentially grave consequences.

New ASRM guidelines now recommend disqualification for Intended Parents who seek concurrent journeys. If you are hoping for twiblings, please discuss this with your attorney, clinic, and agency.

I’m Raising ‘Twiblings' — One Carried By Me, The Other Via Surrogacy Raising 'twiblings' two months apart showed me just how different each baby is.

"Since state bans have gone into effect, representatives of surrogacy agencies say, more intended parents are requesting to be matched with carriers in states with more lenient abortion laws — and often for very personal reasons."

Termination is legal in Florida until viability if there is a fatal fetal abnormality.

The Surrogacy Industry Braces for a Post-Roe World Concerned about losing access to pregnancy care, and fearful of legal consequences, surrogates and those who work with them are rewriting contracts and changing the way they operate.

New Blog Post: A Look at Dobbs, Florida Law, and the Uncertain Future

https://www.alceasurrogacy.com/blog/a-look-at-dobbs-florida-law-and-the-uncertain-futurenbsp

A Look at Dobbs, Florida Law, and the Uncertain Future  — Alcea Surrogacy By: Roia Barrios

Marco Rubio of Florida told CNN he is a no on the legislation, saying it's a "stupid waste of time."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/politics/gop-senators-same-s*x-marriage/index.html

CNN asked all 50 GOP senators if they will support the same-s*x marriage bill. Here's where they stand. CNN asked all 50 Republicans where they stand on legislation that will to codify same-s*x marriage into federal law.

WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday passed a bill that would recognize same-s*x marriages at the federal level, with a bipartisan coalition supporting a measure that addresses growing concerns that a conservative Supreme Court could nullify marriage equality.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/19/us/politics/house-gay-marriage-bill.html

House Moves to Protect Same-Sex Marriage From Supreme Court Reversal The legislation, which garnered some Republican support, would recognize same-s*x marriages at the federal level. It faces an uncertain path in the Senate.

“We’re already seeing on Twitter and elsewhere physicians being scared to treat ectopic pregnancies,” said Dr. Aileen Gariepy, director of complex family planning at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. “As doctors, our job is to follow science and evidence-based medicine, it is keeping up-to-date and doing what’s right for the patient. It is not the nuances of how state legislatures wrote something

What Is Ectopic Pregnancy? Some women and health care providers have concerns about how this rare but life-threatening pregnancy complication will be treated now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned.

“I did seek family counseling services to help me support my stepson, which was tremendously useful for us as a family and for me as a father figure to him,” he said. “I was reminded that I did not have all of the answers, nor should I expect to have them all.”

Navigating Fatherhood as a Black Man The editor of a new book of essays shares how Black men can attend to their mental health while growing their families.

Breaking...

US will end Covid-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the country The Biden administration is expected to announce Friday that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will lift its requirement for travelers to test negative for Covid-19 before entering the US, according to a senior administration official.

PSA: Foreign Intended Parents, you need to present a negative COVID-19 test result before entering the United States.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/19/travel/testing-requirement-flying-us-cdc.html

What’s Going on With the Testing Requirement for Travel? The requirement to test for Covid before flying to the United States is hated by many travelers and the U.S. travel industry. But the government shows no sign of getting rid of it.