Fertility, Parenthood, and the Law: Estate Planning in a New Era

In this powerful and eye-opening interview, Ellen Cookman sits down with fertility attorney Rose Pondel to discuss the critical legal issues that arise with assisted reproductive technology (ART), surrogacy, embryo disposition, and estate planning.

Whether you're an intended parent, using a donor, working with a surrogate, or navigating second-parent adoptions, this episode will help you understand:

Who legally qualifies as a "child" under California law in ART cases
Why embryos, eggs, and sperm are considered "property" in estate plans
The importance of matching estate planning documents with fertility clinic consent forms
Why second-parent adoption is crucial - especially for same-sex couples
What could go wrong if the legal planning doesn’t match your intentions

This is essential information for estate planning attorneys, fertility patients, and families navigating the legal complexities of parenthood.

If you’ve used or are considering IVF, egg/sperm/embryo donation, or surrogacy, don’t miss this interview.

Subscribe for more content on family transitions, estate planning, and protecting your loved ones.


Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:03 - What is Assistive Reproductive Technology (ART)?
01:48 - Some of the legal issues surrounding ART and how they can affect families
06:56 - How fertility law and estate planning come together
09:07 - What happens to embryos when nothing is stated in the estate plan?
10:36 - What to talk about with your estate planning attorney
11:38 - Issues that can come up in other states with fertility law and estate planning
13:19 - Other issues that can come up with fertility law

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