Stephanie Bellchambers

The ultimate unromantic gesture or the ultimate gift? While a ‘prenup’ can be difficult to discuss with your partner and may seem unromantic it's important to understand the benefits of having one and to discuss it openly and honestly. ...

Fertility Awareness Week runs from 31 st October through to 4 th November 2022. The aim is to make more people aware of the struggles some people face to expand their family whilst directly supporting the 3.5million people facing fertility struggles. This...

Childhood covid vaccinations – to vaccinate or not to vaccinate? At the weekend I took my eldest child to have his second covid vaccination. I’m open about my choice as to why he should have it – whilst the risk of a child having covid...

To blame or not to blame – frequently asked questions on the new no fault divorce I appeared on ExpressFM radio this week to talk about the new no fault divorce which is coming in tomorrow – 6 th April 2022. It’s the biggest shake up in...

Is it possible to have a ‘good divorce’? New free parenting guide offered to separating families in Portsmouth, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Stephanie Bellchambers from Biscoes Solicitors is offering the guide for...

There continues to be an ongoing myth that “common law marriage” exists and if you have cohabited with your partner for an extended period of time, then you automatically have the same rights as a married couple (or a couple in a civil...

IVF can be described as an emotional and physical rollercoaster with its highs and lows, and tendency to make you feel sick! Ironically, my husband and I are not infertile, and are in fact entirely fertile. We chose however to proceed with IVF using PGD...

Much has been rather sensationalised about the recent case of G (A Child) [2018] EWCA Civ 305 which dealt with whether the parents of a sperm donor could have contact with their biological grandchild. Whilst this has been granted, it is in a very limited way...

You have made the decision to embark upon a surrogacy arrangement abroad and you have spent a lot of time researching clinics, success rates and costings. You have a feeling that you should probably get some legal advice and you may have undertaken a bit...

It has been reported that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are looking for a surrogate to carry their third child. Kim has been very open about the medical issues she had in her first two pregnancies. She suffers from placenta accreta, which makes another...

Whenever people hear or mention that they are having problems in starting or expanding their families, the first presumption is often that there are fertility issues within the couple. This does however only scratch upon the service of some of the major...

For parents who are unable to conceive naturally (whether it be due to infertility, because they are single or part of a same sex couple) many consider conceiving with a known donor or co-parent. So, what is the difference between a known...

In the case of Re M [2017] EWCA Civ 228 the Court of Appeal has upheld a decision granting care of a child, born through surrogacy, to the surrogate mother. The intended parents had appealed the decision of Mrs Justice Russell in June 2016, who had ordered...

A change in law regarding Surrogacy will allow single people to become parents via surrogacy for the first time. In order to secure parentage following surrogacy the intended parents must apply for a Parental Order. At present the Human Fertilisation and...

Several cases have been heard recently in relation to consent forms held by licenced clinics either not have been correctly completed or not fully completed which prevented a parent from being registered on the child’s birth certificate by the...

A lot has been reported recently about a surrogacy case whereby a couple who were to be the intended parents were described as ‘manipulative and dishonest’. The surrogate had been ‘matched’ to the gay couple by a fixer who runs...

Sir James Munby, the President of the High Court Family Division, has made a formal declaration that UK law unfairly discriminates against single parents with children born through surrogacy and is incompatible with their human rights. ...

The decision to start a family is always an overwhelming one. Is this the right time? Can we afford a baby? Will we be good parents? It becomes even more daunting when it involves potential fertility treatment or surrogacy. The decision to proceed with...

Is international surrogacy legal? Surrogacy is lawful in some Countries, but it is restricted or prohibited in others. If you are considering arranging a surrogacy agreement abroad it is important that you research your destination Country carefully and...

The recent case of Re Z involved an application by British intended parents following a surrogacy arrangement in India. Twins were born on the 5 th May 2014 and applications for parental orders were submitted on the 1 st August 2014. The issue in this...

In September, the English High Court published a judgement highlighting mistakes made by UK fertility clinics relating to the creation, storage and implantation of human embryos as well as leaving 8 couple’s legal parentage in question. President of...

Biscoes Fertility Team is excited to announce that they will be exhibiting at this year’s Alternative Parenting Show. The Alternative Parenting Show will be taking place at the Grand Connaught Rooms on Saturday 19th September 2015. It is the original...

Reports are stating that a gay couple have been forced into hiding in Thailand after their surrogate told them she wanted to keep the baby. In January 2015 when Carmen, now six months old, was only a week old the intended parents were on their way to obtain...

Biscoes Fertility Department are supporting this years Portsmouth Pride which is taking place on June 20 th . This event marks the return of Portsmouth Pride after a 13 year hiatus. The Portsmouth pride organisers have been overwhelmed by the support they...

The High Court case was heard earlier this year but its decision has only just been published. The decision follows a bitter dispute over the nature of the parents’ agreement when a baby girl was conceived. Whilst the mother argued that they had...

As we explored in our previous blog, surrogacy is a popular choice for individuals or couples wanting to create their own family. Once the decision has been made to proceed with surrogacy the intended parents then need to find an appropriate surrogate. This...

Put simply, Surrogacy is when another woman carries and gives birth to a child for you. Though it can be a legally complex and emotionally intense arrangement, it is growing in popularity for couples struggling to have a child and can offer an individual or...

The newspaper headlines have been exploding with news about the gay dad whose mum was his surrogate. But have they missed the point? This case resulted in a landmark legal decision. Whilst the media have focused on a mother carrying her son’s child,...

Biscoes are very proud to be sponsoring Portsmouth Pride event this year on Saturday 20 th June 2015. The last Gay Pride event was over a decade ago, and organisers of this year’s event hope that it will “bring the whole community...

On the 3 rd February 2015 British MPs passed legislation that will allow children to be conceived using the genetic material from three different people to eradicate mitochondrial disease. Mitochondrial disease is where the DNA which comes from the mother...

During a recent blog we discussed conceiving using a known donor or co-parent, now we have a chance to look at co-parenting in more detail. If choosing to co-parent, then all parties wish to be involved in the child’s life. In such scenarios, it is...

Ryan welcomed another child into the world, via a surrogate. The American Horror Story creator and his husband David Miller are now the proud parents of a little boy named Ford. The proud parents already have a 2 year old called Logan, also born by...

Wrong. UK surrogates do get paid and in many respects always have done. Whilst it is illegal for anyone to arrange surrogacy for profit, this does not apply to surrogates or intended parents. What this means is that surrogates and intended parents are free...

Ellen Pompeo, who has been married to husband Chris Ivery since 2007 and who already have a five year old daughter, has announced the arrival of her second child through surrogacy. A surrogate wasn’t used for her first child. In an interview on...

Up until the 3rd October 2014 it was widely believed that the statutory provisions meant that the court could not make a Parental Order after the expiration of 6 months from the child’s birth. This left many in a difficult predicament, particularly...

My colleague Liza Gatrell and I got up early on a Saturday morning and were on the London train by 7:30am to make our way to the yearly Alternative Parenting show in Convent Garden on 20 th September. The show holds a...

Modern day families pose new challenges to the law, which is why it is increasingly important for advice to be obtained and the legal aspects considered from the outset. We are committed to helping individuals create and protect the family they have always...