We regularly draft embryo donation agreements and provide legal advice to embryo donors.
Contact us to book an appointmentWhen people are done building their families they may have surplus frozen embryos stored at a fertility clinic that they no longer need. They may decide to destroy the embryos or donate them to research. Or, they can donate them to a person or couple so that someone else can have a child using those embryos.
Yes. In Canada it is legal to donate embryos. However it is not legal to buy or sell embryos.
If you are pursuing embryo donation, whether as a parent-to-be or a donor, legal advice is essential. Many fertility clinics will not facilitate embryo donations, or perform embryo transfers, without a contract in place.
Both parties (the embryo recipients and the embryo donors) must have their OWN lawyers. This ensures the lawyer is not in a conflict of interest. The intended parents/recipients typically meet their lawyer first. They receive legal advice and their lawyer creates the first draft of the agreement. Then the donors meet with their lawyer to receive advice and discuss the contract; they may decide to propose changes. The donors' lawyer will communicate with the recipients' lawyer until the changes are made to everyone's satisfaction. After the parties sign the agreement, the lawyer for the intended parents will notify the clinic.
Many clinics will also require the parties go through counselling prior to embryo donation. This is highly recommended, even if it is not required.
Embryo donation agreements all have one thing in common: they contain strong language stating that the embryos donors are not the parents of the child. The parties are all in agreement that the donors should not be entitled to access or custody of the child, and that they should not be financially responsible for supporting the child. Beyond the legal basics, every embryo donation contract is different because it reflects the parties' intentions. A contract will include the parties' decisions to questions such as:
If you are pursuing embryo donation, give us a call. We would be delighted to help you.
If you are considering becoming an embryo donor, or using donated embryos, we'd be thrilled to assist!
Email Lisa Feldstein Law Office!Lisa Feldstein is a fertility lawyer who has helped hundreds of people create families through assisted reproduction. She drafts surrogacy agreements, helps clients obtain birth certificates and passports for their babies, and provides legal advice to surrogates, gamete donors and fertility clinics.
Lisa has presented on reproductive law at numerous institutions including the University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital, Markham Fertility Centre and the 519 Church Street Community Centre. She is also an adjunct professor of Health Care Law at York University, and wrote a book chapter on Reproductive Health Law.
Lisa has been widely published and interviewed in the media, including in the Canadian Journal of Family Law, CTV, and the National Post. The feedback Lisa most loves hearing from clients is that she made the process feel simple.