Monday, April 17, 2017

Update on MN Surrogacy Legislation

The Gestational Carrier Act was introduced in the Minnesota House.
Like its companion bill in the Senate (SF 707), the House bill (HF 2593) reflects the consensus points reached by the Legislative Commission on Surrogacy to enact clear and needed regulation of surrogacy in Minnesota that protects all participants. This is a bipartisan bill with support from lawmakers in both parties, and we need to make sure that every lawmaker understands the legislation and the importance of keeping gestational carrier surrogacy available and legal in Minnesota.
There are a few things you can do to accomplish these goals:
1. THANK THE BILL AUTHORS: Thank the authors of the Gestational Carrier Act if they are your Representative or Senator. Authors to date are Representatives Lesch, Hertaus, Zerwas, Youakim and Loonan and Senators Pappas, Dibble, Latz, Abeler and Marty. Use the letter template below and locate their email addresses here. (If you don’t know who your lawmaker is, you can look them up here.) We want to make these lawmakers feel good about their leadership and encourage them to reach out to their colleagues on our behalf. And to those of you who attended MN Advocacy Day, please pat yourselves on the back for securing so many co-authors! And enjoy this blog about YOU! (If your Representative promised to co-sponsor the bill on Advocacy Day and is not listed above, please reach out and encourage them to sign on to this common-sense consensus bill.)
2. ATTEND TOWN HALLS: We are already seeing a difference when people bring this topic up at town hall meetings. A potential new co-author is in the works thanks to one of her constituents attending a recent town hall. To see when your lawmakers are hosting a town hall, sign up for their emails, check their website or follow them on social media. Plan to attend and let us know at info@resolve.org so we can send you some talking points to make it super easy for you.
3. STAY ENGAGED: Be sure to open RESOLVE emails and Action Alerts, and you can also track our bills’ progress by signing up for MyBills on the MN State Legislature website (enter HF 2593 and SF 707). We are in this for the long haul and need your continued commitment. We know that opponents of surrogacy are well-funded and organized, and we must not let up!
Thanks to your efforts, we now have positive legislation pending in the House and Senate to regulate surrogacy in a way that protects all participants without restricting access to this important family building option. Our work will continue through the spring and into the next legislative session, and we appreciate your staying vigilant to help get this legislation passed.
Thank you, Minnesota Advocates!
Julie Berman, RESOLVE Board Chair and Minnesota Advocate
Betsy Campbell, RESOLVE Director of Constituent Engagement
P.S. RESOLVE is the only patient advocacy group in the U.S. that fights for the rights of women and men who are infertile. We can’t do this without your support - any amount helps.Please donate today to protect access to care in Minnesota.
Sample Thank You Letter to Gestational Carrier Act Authors
I am writing to thank you for co-authoring [for Rep. Lesch and Sen. Pappas, say authoring] the Gestational Carrier Act (HF 2593 /SF 707) to enact clear and needed regulation of surrogacy in Minnesota that protects all participants. This legislation is important to me and the 1 in 8 couples in our district who are struggling with infertility.
As a volunteer advocate for RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, I [Insert if you attended MN Advocacy Day - enjoyed meeting with you last month and ] applaud your leadership on this pro-family legislation. I hope you will encourage your colleagues to support the Gestational Carrier Act and keep all family building options available and legal for the more than 113,000 Minnesotans who need medical assistance to have a child.
Thank you again for your support of the infertility community and for helping Minnesotans realize their dreams of family.
Sincerely,
NameMailing Address