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Dear friends,
This is a reminder that our next meeting will take place next Wednesday, February 22, 6:30-8:00 PM. Location (as always): The NYC LGBT Center, 208 West 13th Street (near 7th Ave.).
The topic of this month's meeting will be Psychological aspects of surrogacy, and it will be facilitated by Dr. Felix Wolf. Our guest speaker will be Felix's husband, Dr. Wolf! The couple have been group members since 2005, and throughout the years shared with us the experience they gained in their three surrogacy journeys. Professionally Dr. Wolf is a licensed clinical psychologist with his own private practice in Manhattan. Dr. Wolf obtained his doctorate (Psy.D.) from Pace University. His experience includes work in different settings, such as hospital inpatient settings and outpatient clinics. Dr. Wolf has been working with various populations treating a wide range of disorders and its symptoms, such as mood and anxiety disorders, personality disorders, but also difficulties with fertility. Through own personal experience with having three children through surrogacy he knows firsthand how taxing this process can be for intended parents and how helpful therapy or workshops like ours can be. In our meeting we will discuss various sensitive issues including:
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Coping with stress associated with expectations of extended families, unsuccessful cycles, and financial strain.
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Addressing issues of control and other aspects of the relationship with donors, surrogates and their families.
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Dealing with possible tension regarding the identity of the biological father.
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Navigating life as a family with gay parents.
I hope you can join us for this important meeting. I also want to remind you we just launched a new website last month, and we keep adding content, so please come back every now and then, send us feedback, suggestions, etc. See below for a couple of updates from the blog.
 Warm regards,
Ron Poole-Dayan
coordinator
February NEWS
Update: second parent adoption tax
In our recent meeting some questions were asked about the amount and terms of the adoption tax credit LGBT parents can receive in the 2011 and 2012 tax years. We asked attorney Melissa Brisman to provide clarifications. It appears that in the 2012 tax year the amount is slightly lower and cannot be used to get a refund if you do not owe taxes, but for the first time the credit can be carried forward for additional 5 years. Go to the article for more valuable information.
Read more…
Fertility Authority features our network in a report titled "Gay
Parenting Information Sources Growing"
The major portal Fertility Authority published a story on the way prospective gay parents deal with the logistical, legal, practical and emotional questions they face in their surrogacy journeys. It deals with how concerns tend to differ for American versus European prospective parents, and the resources available to deal with what may seem as an overwhelming process. The article mentions our workshops and seminars, including the upcoming European Men Having Babies seminar this April in Barcelona.
Read more…
About the group:
Center Families' Planning Biological Parenthood for Men group is part of the Men Having Babies network of seminars and workshops, providing an opportunity to discuss the legal, medical, financial, social and moral aspects of surrogacy and egg donation faced by gay men. The group is also an opportunity to get together with other gay men considering fatherhood, share information, provide mutual support, and to build a network of gay dads.
* Go to the group's home page for information about previous speakers, updates about the monthly meetings, and other news & events of interest for gay men who want to have children through surrogacy.
* For support and networking between meetings, go to the group's Facebook Page!
* You can watch surrogacy related video clips on the comprehensive new Men Having Babies Video library, including media reports and complete seminar programs from the last few years (latest one is October 2011).
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