INSTAR Connect

Miss Universe in support of

INSTAR at Guwahati.

INSTAR Guidelines: A boon for

surrogates and their families

Dr. R. S. Sharma inaugurating

the INSTAR Workshop, Delhi

For Private Distribution in the Medical Fraternity only www.instar.co.in www.instarorg.blogspot.in

MuMbai calling:

The First annual insTaR conference

One VisiOn. One VOice.

Third party Assisted Reproduction is facing its biggestchallenges ever, not only in India but globally. It is a

blessing for millions of couples who can be blessed with achild through this technology and the only option tocomplete their family for a few. Many couples havebenefited and are likely to benefit if this treatment optionremains available to them.A few stray incidents of unexpected behavior of intendedparents, surrogate mothers, ART banks or ART clinicsbrings a bad name to this extremely useful treatment.These incidents have happened more outside India, in socalled most “ethical and popular” surrogacy destinations tothe “emerging preferred destinations” like Thailand andMexico.If we see India, such incidents are minimal as compared torest of the world. However systematic efforts are done todefame our nation and stop the ever rising reputation ofIndia as the preferred destination for quality medical careat affordable price. Foreign lobbies are actively trying tosuppress this development by all routes, i.e. pressuring thegovernment to do unwanted modifications in proceduresand laws, funding NGO’s to publish, propagate and projectwrong data based on ill founded and ill conductedunreliable studies, funding “ research students” to findnegative stories only in the name of research etc.I am really surprised, why none of them show even theglimpses of brighter side of the practice.Indian Council for Medical Research had worked hard andformed very good guidelines and all good centers arefollowing the spirit of it, voluntarily.Just because these guidelines on ART are not a law as yet,third party ART is always projected as “UNREGULATED”,whereas the whole fraternity is trying to work with thehighest standards of ethics. Even the ICMR guidelines arealso being amended for unknown reasons.INSTAR is working towards the welfare of all the partiesinvolved in third party ART from least privileged to mostprivileged. INSTAR is actively striving to spread awarenessin the society about this modern treatment modality andremove negativity.INSTAR also promotes ethical and legal practices amongstits members. A blend of academic programmes and publicawareness programmes is the unique achievement ofINSTAR.INSTAR has achieved a lot in a very short time of itsexistence, like many academic and social awarenessprogrammes, minimum compensation standards forsurrogate mothers and egg donors, “INSTAR consensussurvey” and much more.First “INSTAR Annual Conference” in Mumbai will be onemore landmark. I thank my enthusiastic team to make allthis happen and wish Dr. Kaushal Kadam and her team ofMumbai, all the very best for the upcoming conference.

02

from the

PRESIDENT’Sdesk

03

from the

VICE PRESIDENT’Sdesk

Alittle step may be the beginningof a great journey. INSTAR is that

little step taken in the direction ofprotection of all parties involved inthe third party reproduction -Surrogates, Donors, IntendedParents, Doctors, Lawyers, Socialactivists etc.One woman transforming the life ofanother womanOne woman empowering anotherwoman.One woman being there for anotherwoman.A symbiotic relationship.Let’s all work in the direction ofputting a smile on all who desireparenthood.

Dr Rita BakshiVice President, INSTAR

from the

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS’desk

Awareness about third partyreproduction will be of great help for

infertile couples.INSTAR can play a big role in educating theoocyte, sperm donors and surrogate mothers.The aim of the Society should be to dojustice to the donors and recipients. It also has an added responsibility of gettingthe ART Law enacted as soon as possible.This will streamline the Third Party AssistedReproduction medical practice in India.

Dr Pramod KumarSharmaSr. Vice President, INSTAR

from the

PATRON’Sdesk

INSTAR was a much needed step tobring all components of Third

Party Reproduction under oneumbrella. Till recently all InfertilitySpecialists were practicing independently and facing more orless the same problems and issues. INSTAR has helped all of usto consolidate, discuss and move forward. The Society is now avoice for Specialists, Intended Parents, Surrogates, ART Banksand all others with a stake in Third Party Reproduction. It shallbring to the notice of the government and other governmentalagencies the facts and realities of compensated surrogacy,address them and find a solution.India has emerged as a hub of surrogacy. Our familial andsocietal norms, strong values, proficiency in English, worldclass infrastructure and Doctors and the urge to help othershas resulted in India becoming the preferred destination forsurrogacy. INSTAR will be there to ensure that we continue asthis and at the same time protect the interests of the surrogatesand Intended Parents also.

Dr Anoop GuptaPatron, INSTAR

Dr S, SamundiSankariSr. Vice President,INSTAR

India has emerged as a world leader in thirdparty ART and Surrogacy worldwide because

of excellent facilities, qualified specialists andthe availability of surrogates. INSTAR wasformed to facilitate Third Party Reproduction inIndia and has emerged as a National levelSociety which good relations with thegovernment and authorities. INSTAR has laid down guidelines for Third PartyReproduction which protects the interests ofsurrogates, Intended Parents and the Clinics,which is the first of its kind. The need of thehour was a Society which could represent allconstituents of Third Party Reproduction to thegovernment. For the international IntendedParents, INSTAR is there to address theirconcerns.

To bring together allelements of Surrogacy

on a common platform formutual benefit is thepurpose of INSTAR. We atINSTAR took a step in theright direction by issuingand adopting guidelines forcompensated surrogacy inIndia. This small step of selfregulation is a large step in

the direction of transparency and ethical practices.It is our purpose to reach out and establishparameters which shall be industry landmarks. Thesurrogacy walk and conference held in New Delhibrought into sharp focus our efforts and will for thebetterment of all parties involved in compensatedsurrogacy in India. It is our vision to invite all to joinus in our efforts.

Dr Vikas BajajFinance Secretary, INSTAR

04

from the

SECRETARY’Sdesk This is an exciting moment in

time for ART and compensatedsurrogacy in India as INSTARbecomes a touchstone for what isthe best practice in our field andwe move towards being one of thefew countries in the world withnational guidelines.We are giving an Indian voice toour practice, to the clinics andagencies that work in this field andsharing our practice wisdom witheach other and the world. We areencouraging our surrogates to findtheir own voice and share theirown stories, rather than havingothers tell these stories.I would encourage all of you, whoare interested and passionateabout this work to join us, throughformal membership of INSTAR orby attending one of our workshops,conferences or CME sessions andbe part of process of change.

Dr Shivani Sachdev GourGeneral Secretary INSTAR

from the

FINANCE SECRETARY’Sdesk

from the

LEGAL SECRETARY’Sdesk

ART procedures are theneed of the hour as

infertility/childlessness ison the rise and areemotionally draining andsocially unacceptable. Itcan adversely affect therelationship/bonding of acouple. Surrogacy is such anoble cause; it helps inbuilding families and isthe last resort for somecouples.Our vision is to spread awareness, bringtransparency and work towards a fair system sothat the rights and the interests of the surrogatemothers/donors as well as that of the IntendedParents remains protected in the entire process.This can only be brought about by establishingethical work protocols.

Radhika Thapar BahlAdvocate and Advisor

05

EDITORS SPEAK

It gives us immense pleasurethat we are here again with

the second issue of INSTARConnect after the grandsuccess of INSTAR Workshopand Surrogacy Walk conductedin Delhi which were the first ofits kind globally.Through this newsletter, weendeavour to bring to you allthe updates in and around theworld of Third PartyReproduction. INSTAR is aworld in itself, an innovation, ahope and definitely A FORUMWITH A VISION which booststhe concept of - “Surrogacybuilds families”.Creating proper awarenessabout the positives of thirdparty ART and mitigating themyths around it is an ongoingprocess which cannot beaccomplished without theteam work, efforts, blessingsand endless enthusiasm of allassociated and we thank all forbeing part of it and especiallyour President Dr. Bavishi forshowing us the way.We have a humble request toall our readers to be part ofINSTAR, as it is a forumdesigned especially forcolleagues from the field ofThird Party AssistedReproduction to bring forththeir views and share them ona common platform.So, kindly join INSTAR asmembers and make it strong tohelp us enable our vision.

Dr Samit Sekhar &Dr Riccha SharmaEditors, INSTAR Connect

OVERVIEWTHE SURROGACY WALKINSTAR WORKSHOP

India takes a global lead in Third Party Reproduction with INSTAR(Indian Society for Third Party Assisted Reproduction) hosting two

global events on the 20th of April, 2014 which were -� INSTAR Walk on Surrogacy on 20th April at Nehru Stadium, New Delhi� INSTAR Workshop with leaders from the field of legal, medical andgovernment sector sharing the latest up to date information andclarifying questions.This was followed by a Press Release of events on 21st April, 2014 at IndiaHabitat Centre, New Delhi.

The Surrogacy Walk is a first for India, approximately 500 peopleincluding surrogate mothers, their husbands, their extended familymembers and doctors, lawyers, social workers and ART Banks walkedtogether for a common theme - SURROGACY BUILDS FAMILIES.

06

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

After giving birth to Nirvaan,

her first son with Sohail

Khan, in 2000, Seema

Sachdeva Khan turned to a

surrogate to further expand

her family. The couple

welcomed a son, Yohan, in

2011.

sOhail khan

This walk challenged the notion thatsurrogate mothers are abandoned by theirfamilies and husbands just because theyare surrogates.It challenges the notion that their familylooks down upon surrogate mothers.On the contrary, husbands and familymembers of surrogate mothers have comeout in their support. The workshop was attended by Dr R.S.Sharma from the Indian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) and Embassies of over 20countries were invited.ART Banks of Indian origin, Caucasian

origin and African Origin Egg donors gavetheir views - for the first time in India.According to ART Banks, the problemsthat arise are due to a minority ofunscrupulous elements claiming to beART Banks. This is done to cut costs oftreatment as they don’t have completepaperwork etc. Only registered Companieswho have applied for registration with theICMR should be used by doctors andpatients, this will go a long way in reducingthe problems.Standardised Documentation forSurrogacy was given to all faculties and

On December 1, actor Aamir

Khan and his filmmaker-wife,

Kiran Rao welcomed their

first-born son, Azad Rao Khan.

"This baby is especially dear

to us because he was born to

us after a long wait and some

difficulty. We were advised to

have a baby through IVF-

surrogacy, and we feel very

grateful to the Almighty that

all has gone well".

aMiR khan

Actor Shah Rukh Khan's

third baby, AbRam, was

born on May 27, 2013

with the help of a

surrogate mother. SRK is

the third Indian celeb to

take the surrogacy route.

shah Rukh khan

07

A BIG THANK YOU!The Surrogacy Walk was the perfect

opportunity to felicitate our surrogate

mothers who are the souls of

compassion. Their grace, humanity and

empathy for childless couples motivates

them to make the ultimate sacrifice -

bearing a child for another.

08

delegates - for reference purposes andhave been vetted by Legal and Medicalexperts from the relevant field. Thedocuments are in the local language andare an extension of the ICMR guidelinesespecially for post delivery care of thesurrogate mothers and counselling for theprocess.A Survey cum Consensus Statementpresented in the Conference on 21st ofApril relating to the field of Egg Donationwith at least 60 participants includingDoctors, ART Banks, legal experts,Counsellors and Social workers.All members of INSTAR are proud of thework of ICMR in bringing togetherNational guidelines for ART that will guidepractice across India in Third PartyReproduction rooting out disreputableparties and “middle men”. INSTARmembers’ stand with ICMR in creating anIndian voice demonstrating best practiceguidelines and is proud of being one of thefew countries in the world with consistentguidelines for both ART; Third PartyReproduction & compensated surrogacy.Through this practice of INSTAR,members will demonstrate that surrogatesare able to make informed decisions,supported by their families and are proudof their role in building families.At the INSTAR Walk where we had morethan 500 surrogates and their family

members along with medical faculty, ARTbank people, social workers, counsellors,fertility guides – which was quiteencouraging and the massive responsewas beyond expectation which portraysthat in the heart of hearts, everyonesupports and accepts the fact thatsurrogacy fills a lacunae, completes afamily and helps build society. It shouldnot be looked down upon but shouldrather be encouraged.This is possible only by organizing eventswhich create a massive public awareness- the basis of any innovation.This walk was followed up by the workshopwhich was presided and addressed byINSTAR President, Dr Himanshu Bavishi,ICMR Director General, Dr R.S. Sharma,INSTAR Vice President, Dr Rita Bakshi andINSTAR Secretary, Dr Shivani Sachdev Gourwho enlightened the delegates aboutINSTAR, the organization, its aims andobjectives.The workshop was attended by 250delegates from all over the country andabroad & comprised of panel discussionscovering all medical, legal, social andethical aspects of third partyreproduction.

Masters of Ceremonies were- Dr RicchaSharma (Delhi) and Dr Samit Shekhar(Hyderabad)

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

“This walk challenged the notion that Surrogate mothers are abandoned

by their families and husbands just because they are surrogates”

Broadway actress of the

famed musical Hairspray,

Marissa Jaret Winokur

underwent a hysterectomy at

the age of 27 after being

diagnosed with cervical cancer.

Surrogacy was her “last

chance” to become a mother.

“For everybody that has a

surrogate, that was their last

chance. That was their last

option – that was their only

option. It’s the most amazing,

wonderful thing, but it’s also a

really hard decision to make

because you’re trusting the

most important thing to

somebody. For me, that was

the only way I was going to

have a baby.”

Mom to 4-year-old son Zev

with husband Judah Miller,

Marissa said they hope for

another baby one day soon.

MaRissa jaReT

emmy Award-winning The

Young & the Restless star

Michelle Stafford is mom to

daughterNatalia thanks to a

surrogate mother.

After unsuccessful attempts to

conceive with several failed

surgeries for egg retrieval,

artificial insemination and

invitro fertilization, the star

said the process of trying to

become pregnant was “the

hardest thing I’ve ever done in

my life.”

Michelle sTaFFORD

09

‘To promote ethical third

party reproduction to help

complete families.

Streamlining compensated

surrogacy by inculcating

values and ethical practices.

Sharing expertise and issues

with governmental agencies

and assisting the

government in the drafting

of the ART Bill are all part of

‘Vision INSTAR’.

DR Vishal gOuR

executive Member, INSTAR‘Third Party Reproduction is

a growing necessity in our

present times and India is

fast emerging as a centre of

excellence for the same.

Through INSTAR, we ensure

that standard operating

procedures are maintained,

the treating doctors have a

common voice in policy

matters at the National level

and the patients feel secure

in having a national body

and not just an individual to

look after their interests.

DR RajeeV agaRwal

executive Member, INSTAR

VISION

WORKSHOP & PANEL DISCUSSION

Panel Discussions were chaired andmoderated by experts in their

respective fields.Each panel had 4-5 panelists fromvarious aspects of ART.Through this issue of our newsletter - INSTAR Connect, we will summarizethe take home messages which weredrawn at the end of the workshop.

PANEL ON SPERM DONATION -The first panelwas related tothe medicalaspects ofSpermDonation andIUI/IVF cycleswith donor

sperm. It stressed the basics whichare to be followed: Stringentselection criteria for sperm donorsshould be followed by ART banks.Donor’s spouse and recipient’sspouse written consent is a must.General and seminal parameters areto be seen with appropriatescreening. Quarantine of six monthsis a must and no semen sampleshould be released prior to that.Counselling should be the first step.

The INSTAR workshop was inaugurated bylighting the ceremonial lamp. Dr R.S. Sharma,ICMR did the honours with Dr HimanshuBavishi & Dr Riccha Sharma.

10

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

Nicole Kidman and Keith

Urban welcomed a daughter

on July 8, 2008. But after a

“roller-coaster ride with

fertility.”

“Having given birth and then

being there to see my child

born in that way, I felt so

much love for our surrogate,

gestational carrier,” Nicole

said.

The Academy Award-winner

went on to discuss why she

uses the term “gestational

carrier” as opposed to

“surrogate” - something she

was criticized for.

“We were trying to be

accurate,” she shared. “The

term ‘gestational carrier’ is

used if it’s your biological

child and if it isn’t, then you

use ‘surrogate.’ I mean, who

knows what it is. But she’s the

most wonderful woman to do

this for us.”

nicOle kiDMan

PANEL DISCUSSION ON MEDICALASPECTS OF EGG DONATION:The second panel discussion pertainedto the Medical aspects of egg donationcycles, screening programme of thedonor and after care, optimisingoutcomes and best practice.In this panel discussion it was statedthat first and foremost is theappropriate indications followed byscreening and the associatedpsychological factors such as stresslevels of the couple should drop downbefore undertaking the treatment andtransparency of the proceduresfollowed should be there. Along withthat the long term and the short termeffects of egg donation were discussed.The egg donor thus has the same lowrisk of complications from IVF as anautologous IVF patient. Risks torecipient are mainly in the form ofadvanced age and henceforth medicalimplications.

American Idol star Chris

Daughtry and wife Deanna

welcomed fraternal twins

Noahand Adalynn via

gestational carrier in

November 2010.

chRis DaughTRy

11

‘INSTAR mission is to guide

society as larger for

understanding positive

aspects of Surrogacy. A win-

win situation for all in Third

party reproduction. INSTAR’s

mission is also to provide

correct inputs related to

third party reproduction to

government agencies and

other bodies involved in

formulation of the ART Bill

RaVi shaRMa

executive Member, INSTAR‘INSTAR is a third party re-

productive society which is

first of its kind in India.

Which is formed by Infertil-

ity Specialist, ART Banks,

and Advocates. The main

reason of forming this soci-

ety to bring awareness

among our society and have

a positive attitude towards

surrogacy and surrogates

which are involved and to

see all the clinics who are

practicing surrogacy are in

an ethical way.

MR. Deene VishnukanTh


PANEL DISCUSSION ON SURROGACY:Medical Aspects of Surrogacy cycles;Screening program of the surrogatemother and after care; Optimizing out-comes and best practice.As we are aware that surrogacy is a muchtalked, controversial topic and hence it isan important point of debate due to it’scomplex and intricate association withthe ethical, legal, medical, social and psy-chological aspects.Compensated surrogacy in India hashelped thousands of couples worldwideto complete their family. These coupleswould have been without a child had itnot been for the compassion of our sur-rogate mothers and the tireless efforts ofour Doctors.

It was also agreed that the surrogatemother should make a choice betweenstaying at a surrogate home or her ownhome with her family.

INSTAR will launch a Surrogate helpline soon with a toll free

number which will definitely be an innovation in Third Party

Reproduction and a boon in itself.VISION

12

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

What to Expect When You’re

Expecting actress elizabeth

Banks and husband Max

Handelman have welcomed

two sons via surrogate mother.

“Like Felix, Magnus was born

via gestational surrogate, this

experience has exceeded all

expectations, taught us a

great deal about generosity

and gratitude, and

established a relationship

that will last a lifetime.”

“It was a womb issue for me.

embryos wouldn’t implant,”

she said of her fertility issues.

“It’s a big leap, inviting this

person into your life to do this

amazing, important thing for

you. And it’s hard losing that

kind of control. But our

surrogate is so extraordinary,

and she’s still in our lives.

She’s like an auntie.”

elizabeTh banks

Sir elton John and David

Furnish welcomed their

second son elijah on January

11, 2013. The doting daddies

used the same surrogate

mother for their 2-year-old

son Zachary.

“She is a wonderful, kind and

loving woman,” Elton said of

their surrogate, who thinks of

her as “part of our family.”

The couple used the same egg

donor for both boys and have

chosen not to find out either

of their son’s paternity.

siR elTOn jOhn

PANEL DISCUSSION ON ART BANKS:ART Banks, Sourcing Egg donors andSurrogate mothers, Working with clinics,meeting expectations of all parties,surrogate mother accomodation, solutionof problems.In this panel, the role of ART banksworking in association with the ARTClinics was discussed. It was repeatedlystressed upon that only the ICMRregistered ART banks should be enrolledin the ART procedures.This is necessary to ensure that properscreening of donors and surrogates isfollowed along with all legal paper work.Various clinical scenarios were discussedwhich rarely can happen in suchtreatment plans and how to preventthem. Transparency and systematictaking up helps prevent and resolve suchunfortunate events.

Some ART banks also provide the facilityof Surrogate Homes .NEXT TWO DISCUSSIONS dealt withLegal Social and Ethical aspects and theopen house discussion involvingquestion answer session interaction withthe panelists and the audience withexpertise advise and references. In between the panel discussions, therewas quiz session organized by Masters ofCeremonies - Dr Riccha Sharma, NewDelhi, Bournhall and Dr Samit Shekhar,Hyderabad, KIC, to actively involve theaudience and make the show lively. Each panel was felicitated by theRespected Chairpersons and Guest ofHonours.Lamp lighting by Dr R S Sharma(DirectorGeneral ICMR) and INSTAR President DrHimanshu Bavishi, and ExecutiveMembers of INSTAR.

3rd October was declared as ‘Surrogacy Day of India’ by

Dr Himanshu Bavishi, President, INSTAR .

The workshop was a great success andwas the first of its kind. It created a

platform for Third Party Reproduction,bringing together specialists of diversefields who have a common agenda -Third Party Reproduction. It also paved apath for more such workshops in the fu-ture.It was a grand success because of the in-novation, vision and the collaborative ef-forts of all involved since the infancy ofthis organization and we thank everyonefor the same.INSTAR workshop was further given a fil-lip by our respected Director General,ICMR, Dr R S Sharma who enlightened usabout the ART Draft Bill and the variousnotifications which have been releasedby Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) andwill be released soon on their website.Here we highlight a few for our readers.

Notifications from Govt. of India,Ministry of Home Affairs (ForeignersDivision)-(I) No.25022/74/2011-F.I dated 9th July,

2012(II) No.25022/74/2011-F.I dated 7th

March, 2013(III) No.25022/74/2011-F.I dated 16th

July, 2013(IV) No.25022/74/2011-F.I dated 14th

October, 2013

The appropriate visa category will be amedical visa for foreign nationals who arecoming to India for commissioning sur-rogacy.Such a visa may only be granted if the fol-lowing conditions are fulfilled:I. The foreign man and woman are dulymarried and the marriage should havesustained at least for two years.A letter from the Embassy of the foreigncountry in India or the Foreign Ministryof the Country should be enclosed withthe Visa application stating clearly thata) the country recognizes surrogacy andb) the child/children to be born to thecommissioning couple through the In-dian surrogate mother will be permittedentry into their country as a biological

child/children of the couple commis-sioning surrogacy.iii. The couple will furnish an undertak-ing that they would take care of thechild/children born through surrogacy.iv. The treatment should be done only atone of the registered ART Clinics recog-nized by ICMR.v. The couple should produce a duly no-tarized agreement between the applicantcouple and the prospective Indian surro-gate mother.

• Before the grant of visa, the foreign cou-ple needs to be told that before leavingIndia for their return journey, ‘exit’ per-mission from FRRO/FRO would be re-quired.• Before granting ‘exit’, the FRRO/FROwill see whether the foreign couple is car-rying a certificate from the ART Clinicconcerned regarding the fact that thechild/children have been duly taken cus-tody by the foreigner and that the liabili-ties towards the Indian surrogate motherhave been fully discharged as per theagreement.• A copy of the birth certificate(s) of thesurrogate child/children will be retainedby the FRRO/FRO along with photo-copies of the passport and visa of the for-eign parents.• The foreign couple can be permitted tovisit Indian on a Tourist Visa for signingagreement between the applicant coupleand the prospective Indian Surrogatemother.

Policy for import of Human EmbryosHuman Embryo is classified under ITC(HS) Code 0511 99 99 of Chapter 5 of ITC(HS) 2012, Schedule 1 (Import Policy). Import of Human Embryo will be ‘free’subject to a ‘No Objection Certificate’from Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR).

13

MHANOTIFICATIONS

‘Surrogacy is the need of the

hour. It is the last resort for

childless couples. Here genetic

parents get a healthy baby and

the surrogate mother gets the

resources for the betterment of

her family and herself.

Surrogacy fulfills the basic right

of two families - ‘The Right To A

Healthy Family’.

There are however many parties

involved in surrogacy and

INSTAR is the right step to

address the needs and concerns

of all. There is finally a forum

where all can meet and plan for

the future.‘We promote the welfare of

surrogate mothers by organis-

ing activities like indoor

games, cooking, painting etc.

Surrogate mothers should be

allowed to stay with their fam-

ily in surrogate home.

Meditation/ Yoga classes

should be organized for the

surrogate mothers to help

them stay healthy & active.

Surrogate mothers should also

share their feelings about

pregnancy with the Intended

Parents with the help of social

media like Skype, video mes-

sages etc. so that the Intended

Parents also feel connected

with the surrogate mother

throughout the pregnancy.

DR s. Mani


DR DeePak gOenka


VISION

14

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

Sarah Jessica Parker and

Matthew Broderick welcomed

son James Wilkie in October

2002. But the couple struggled

to conceive again.

“[We] tried and tried and tried

and tried and tried to get

pregnant, but it just was not to

be, the conventional way—I

would give birth as often as I

could, if I could. I cherished all

the milestones, the good and

the bad,” she shared.

The Sex and the City star

spoke very highly of their

gestational carrier, calling her

“strong, bright, independent,

thoughtful, caring, gracious

and generous.”

saRah jessica PaRkeR

Ricky Martin welcomed his

twin sons, Valetino and

Matteo, via surrogate in

August 2008.

He first felt the urge to start a

family many years ago.

“I just sat in front of the

computer, doing research,

until I found surrogacy, and I

was like: ‘Woah! This looks

really interesting. I

interviewed so many people

that were part of this

beautiful world, and I decided

this was going to be my way.”

And what about more kids in

the future with his longtime

love, Carlos Gonzalez Abella?

Saying that he’d love to have

“a daddy’s girl,” Ricky said he

plans to go the surrogacy

route again soon.

Ricky MaRTin

It comprised of 60 participants whoexpressed their view points on various

recommendations suggested by INSTARon Egg donation. It was concluded that -1) Minimum compensation for eggdonors in India (instead of commercialthe term compensated be used - manycountries who do commercial surrogacyeven use the term altruistic as it iscompensating for time and effort andloss of wages and not commercial) -between 20,000 to 25,000 INR.2) There should be a fixed upper limit onfinancial compensation so that this is notconstrued as luring/enticing egg donorsbut only compensating them.3) Contracts should be in Local Languagealong with English.4) Egg sharing from a donor should notdecide the dose of medications as donorhealth and safety are primary concerns.5) Realistic expectations for number ofeggs collected from donor should begiven to Intended Parents (can be basedon antral follicle count scan) and effortsshould be made to avoid complicationlike hyperstimulation.6) List of potential complications shouldbe discussed with the egg donor in LocalLanguage as well as English as in theconsent forms.7) There will be a combinedresponsibility of (33.3%) intendedparents, (30%) IVF clinic (36.6%) ART

bank for managing any extra care ifrequired after the donation process.8) Screening tests for egg donors as inform from ICMR Website M2 of the eggdonation. Answer - 95% agree as perICMR, 5% agree but want Additional testsas well.9) Egg donor to be compensated fully ifthe egg collection process is doneirrespective of number of eggs collectedor quality of eggs or no eggs. Answer-95% agree irrespective; 5% say that ifdonor has not disclosed history ofsubstance abuse then theircompensation must be reduced.10) A form should be filled by the donorstating that she has not donated morethan 6 times as per ICMR Rule.11) A gap of at least 3 months should bekept between two egg donations Answer- 50% 2 months; 33.3% for 3 months;16.33% between 2 to 3 months.12) All centres should have vigilant postoperative care as per ICMR andprevailing authority rules.13)Donor anonymity to be maintainedstrictly.It an ongoing consensus and our aim isto increase the number of participantstaking opinion at both national andinternational level from the all thoserelated to ART procedures to getstatistically significant results.

INSTAR CONSENSUS ON EGG DONATIONHOW DO WE MASTER THIS PRACTICE AS CLINICIANSby Dr Samit Sekhar & Dr Riccha Sharma

15

WORKSHOP SNAPSHOTS

‘The role of INSTAR is to gather

all Indian doctors and make

them big defenders of Surrogacy

and IVF - which INSTAR does but

how effectively so far it is

another issue. Unfortunately

what I see recently around

Surrogacy and IVF in India gets

complicated, involves more and

more bureaucracy. INSTAR must

somehow quietly resolve this

problems with government.

INSTAR must make India

government understand that

they must be proud of their IVF

& Surrogacy doctors who are

the best in the world.

DR MaRiaM kukunashVili

executive Member, INSTAR‘ART is relatively a new science

developing rapidly in India.

This involves third parties such

as egg & sperm donors, surro-

gate mothers, ART Specialists

& Clinics, ART Banks, Lawyers

etc., in the process making

things more complicated.

Complexities are Social, Cul-

tural, Financial, Legal, Medical,

ethical, emotional and much

more. Rules and regulations

are not yet fine tuned as this

whole thing is new.

INSTAR is formed with the

noble intention of taking care

of all the parties involved in

this and assisting the authori-

ties in evolving the process to

streamline the whole practice

of third party reproduction.

MR sauRabh kuMaR


VISION

16

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

On Oct. 12, 2010, Neil Patrick

Harris and his partner, David

Burtka, welcomed their first

children - a boy and a girl via

surrogate! The How I Met Your

Mother star told fans of twins

Gideon Scott and Harper

Grace's arrival on Twitter. "All of

us are happy, healthy & tired ."

neil PaTRick haRRis

Intensely private couple

Robert De Niro andGrace

Hightower surprised the world

when they announced they

had welcomed a daughter,

Helen Grace, via surrogate. De

Niro was 68 at the time of the

birth, while Hightower was 56.

The baby girl joins big brother

eliot, now 14. This isn't the

first time De Niro has

experienced childbirth via

surrogate: In 1995 he

welcomed twin sons via

surrogate.

RObeRT De niRO

In November 2007, Dennis

Quaid and wife Kimberly

welcomed their first children,

Thomas Boone and Zoe Grace,

via surrogate.

Dennis quaiD

17

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

Michael

Jackson’s

youngest son

Blanket – real

name Prince

Michael

Jackson II – was born via a

secret surrogate in 2002. After

his death, it was rumoured

that the surrogate mother was

a Mexican nurse called Helena.

Apparently, the late King of

Pop paid her a $20,000

surrogacy fee and lavished her

with gifts, as well as paying

generous expenses to staff to

meet all her needs.

Michael jacksOn

During the 2010 World Cup in

South Africa,Cristiano

Ronaldo’s son was born to an

unknown surrogate in

America. He flew out to meet

his new baby as soon as

Portugal was kicked out of the

tournament by Spain. It was

alleged that the striker paid as

much as $10 million to ensure

that the biological mother’s

identity remained a secret. He

now has sole custody of the

boy, who he named after

himself.

cRisTianO ROnalDO

18

Celebrities And

SURROGATeS

Actress Angela Bassett

endured a gruelling seven-year

battle to have children with

her husband Courtney B. The

pair were overjoyed when

they finally became parents to

twins Bronwyn Golden and

Slater Josiah in January 2006

via a surrogate. "I was unable

to carry, but there are other

ways you can have children,"

Bassett told reporters.

angela basseTT

Star Wars creator George

Lucas and his wife Mellody

Hobson welcomed a surrogate

daughter in August 2013.

everest Hobson Lucas is the

first biological child for the

filmmaker and his 44-year-old

wife. George already has three

adopted children: Amanda, 32;

Katie, 25; and Jett, 20.

geORge lucas

19

Special Thanks To

SPONSOReRSSURROGACY WALK followed by Work-shop on 20th APRIL was widely reportedby premiere wire agencies of India -IANS and PTI and also by prominentnews dailies Hindustan Times, Times ofIndia, REDIFF NEWS, THE STATESMAN,The Pioneer. Dainik Jagran, DainikBhaskar Amar Ujala The HINDU,Navodya Times, Sandhya MahalakshmiTimes, HealthyDunia.com, BUSINESSSTANDARD etc.On the internet the event was covered on Daijiworld.com, http://www.mizonews.net/http://www.ianslive.in, http://www.allvoices.com/, http://article.wn.com/, http://news.chennaionline.com/, http://PressDisplay.com.

MEDIAFILES

alkeMlabORaTORiesliMiTeD

bhaRaT seRuMsanD VaccinesliMiTeD

ORganOn-MsD

lg liFe sciences

sun PhaRMaceuTicalinDusTRies lTD.

balajiPhaRMa

20

FUTURE PERFECT The First INSTAR Annual Conference: MUMBAI

CONTACTRegisTeReD OFFice:

INSTAR House, Number 252, Ground Floor,

Sant Nagar, New Delhi - 110065

Ph: 011-41034631 / 45792531

email: [email protected]

website: www.instar.co.in; www.instarorg.blogspot.in

www.facebook.com/groups/instarsci/

VENUE: J. W. Marriott Hotel, Juhu, MumbaiDATES & TIMINGS: 2nd November 2014, 9am - 6pmREGISTRATION FEE: Rs 2500, for early birdregistration till 10th October. For INSTAR members Rs 1500 only.After 10th October or Spot Registration: Rs 3000

CONTACT PERSON:Ms. Priyanka Shetty91 8692949000, 8692966000CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT:Corion Fertility Clinic2nd Floor, Trans Avenue, Near Versova Telephone Ex-change, Lokhandwala Road, Andheri (West), Mumbai 400 053. Tel: 91 22 2639 5588/2639 5599

Theme : Third Party AssistedReproduction: How to PracticeEthically and within the LegalFramework{insTaR cOnFeRence PROgRaM

9:00 - 9:30am Registration

9:30 - 9:50am President’s message

9:50 - 10:50am How can we set up a Good Third Party Program

– Let us ask the experts - Panel Discussion

10:50 - 11:00am Tea Break

11:00 - 11:20am Insight into the activities of INSTAR

11:20 - 12:00 Panel Discussion - Sperm Donation & ART

Banks - Do’s and Don’ts in everyday practice

12:00 - 1:00pm ethical, Social, and Psychological Issues related

to Surrogacy - Panel Discussion involving NGOs

1:00 - 1:30pm Lunch

1:30 - 2:30pm Panel Discussion on egg Donation:

What do we master this practice as Clinicians

2:45 - 3:45pm Keynote Lecture by Dr. R. S. Sharma

‘Infertility Practice and ICMR Guidelines’

4:00 - 5:00pm Legal Issues Surrounding Surrogacy & Third

Party Reproduction

5:00 - 6:00pm Surrogacy to cater to Foreign Nationals -

How do we deal with embassies & FRRO

6:00 – 6:30pm Vote of Thanks

‘Third Party Reproduction has gained a lot of

importance in the last two decades. The practice has

given the joy of parenthood to many. However, it has

also managed to gain a lot of controversies

surrounding the same with respect to ethical, social

and legal issues. The need was therefore there to

have a strong organisation that can have as its

members all people related to this field and who

want this entire industry to be looked upon as its run

- ethically and with a moral responsibility. INSTAR is

the organization that will send the message to the

world that Third Party Assisted Reproduction is a

Boon to the Society when it is practiced within legal

framework, keeping ethics in mind and ensuring the

benefits of all parties involved.

With this, I would like to invite one and all to INSTAR’s

first Annual Conference on “Third Party Assisted

Reproduction – How can we practice ethically and

within the legal framework’ in Mumbai. Being a one

day conference, we have tried to incorporate

maximum issues faced by clinicians these days when

practising Third Party Reproduction. Special

importance is given to tackling the ethical and legal

issues and guidelines for practice from stalwarts in

this field.

I assure all that it will be an enriching experience for

those wanting to start the practice and those looking

forward to improve the same. Welcome all to

Mumbai!

DR. MRs. kaushal kaDaM

Organising Chairperson , INSTAR Mumbai 2014

}

Membership link: http://instar.co.in/images/registration.jp

INSTAR Connect

Documents

Transcript of INSTAR Connect