Newsletter for Friends and Families of Circle Surrogacy • Winter 2006
A NOTE FROM JOHN...
John Weltman,
CS's President
Dear Everyone,
The past year has been really exciting for us at Circle Surrogacy. Starting in May of last year, two of our surrogates were featured along with a quote from me in a front page article in the New York Times. Since then we have found our practice growing enormously, with television news stories in Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. We have lots of new clients, surrogates, staff, and, best of all, many new babies. In November we had five births in one week, and we recently learned of three confirmed pregnancies
of twins in one month!
As many
of you know,
I started helping people become parents through surrogacy over 10 years ago, but things really picked up in the last 5 years. Now, quickly approaching our 200th baby since 2000, we realize that there is a whole community out there of families with whom we shared the most amazing journey, and with whom we want to stay in touch. For me, Circle Surrogacy was never simply a business. Aside from my own kids, it is the thing I do that brings me the greatest joy, helping to create new families and bringing joy to so
many people's lives. I just wanted to share with you the good news about our program’s growth, let you know we would love to have you share your stories and joys with our entire community. Please keep in touch. We already had one anniversary party last fall in New York and hope to have another one in Boston this spring. We'll keep you posted and hope to see or hear from you soon. John
What a week!
Gary and Peter, proud dads of Maggie
one of five babies born in one week of November
Join John Weltman and his family this summer at the R Family VacationsAlaska cruise. Celebrate a magical Fourth of July with Hundreds of gay parents and their children, along with many more family-friendly /parenting-curious gay people, aboard NCL’s Norwegian Star July 2-9
contact: 1-866-rfam-vac
Professional Group of Baby Nurses, recommended by Circle Surrogacy parents:
"We have 10 to 20 yrs. exp. both with gay singles & gay couples.
exp. with singles & twins.
available for 24 hours, per day for periods of 1wk. to several mths.
Based in NYC but we will travel.
contact: Joy Bailey (718) 251 4270 or (347) 267 6026
The next of Center Kids Family Play Dates for LGBT parents and their kids will be held on Sunday, April 30th from 2-5 p.m. Highly recommended by Circle Surrogacy parents who attended the previous event. Talk space for parents, child care for the littlest ones, &
organized play activities for older kids!
Pre-register at terry@gaycenter.org
Family Pride will be throwing a party at Tavern on the Green / New York on Wednesday, April 26, from 6 - 9pm. The ticket price is $125.
Baby pictures wanted!
Please send us your cutest family and baby pictures! We would love to see how you are doing and stay in touch. Please also indicate if we can include these pictures in future newsletters or on our website. Links to your baby /family online photo albums are also welcome - maybe we can start a "Circle Surrogacy Gay Families Website Ring"...
Highly recommended: "The Gay Parenting Show" - an inspirational and informative podcast for LGBT parents. Every episode features news you can use and an interview with an expert in the field of LGBT parenting
IN THE NEWS
NBC News Features Circle Surrogacy in a Story about Gay Men Becoming Fathers
NBC’s Channel 7 New in Boston has recently aired a story titled “He’s Having a Baby”, featuring a Circle Surrogacy dad and a CS surrogate. The story describes a “growing trend, where hundreds of gay men are hiring companies like Circle Surrogacy in Boston” to become fathers, and how “more and more women are becoming egg donors or surrogates for same sex couples" go to story...
New York Times features Circle Surrogacy couples, surrogates and president in a front page article
The New York Times has recently published an article on its front page, featuring Circle Surrogacy’s president, John Weltman and several of Circle Surrogacy’s clients and surrogates. The article describes a “growing movement of surrogate mothers choosing gay couples over traditional families” since “gay couples have developed a reputation as especially grateful clients.” go to story...
Gay Dads, Surrogate Mothers, and the Children they carried met for a First Reunion
in NYC
On September 11th, an unusual group met in New York for a special event. As a growing number of gay couples form families with the help of egg donors and surrogates, Circle Surrogacy, a leading surrogacy agency celebrated the birth of its 150th baby with a reunion party. In attendance were more than a dozen NY City gay families formed through surrogacy,
along with some of the surrogates, medical staff, and the agency staff who helped make all this possible. While several of the children attending were 5-10 years old, most were infants and toddlers, reflecting the “gaby boom” of the last few years. go to story...
John
Weltman and Circle Surrogacy veterans speak at "Reproductive Choices For Gay Men" Seminar
Circle Surrogacy’s president, John Weltman, along with a CS parent and a two time CS surrogate, joined with the New York gay community for a panel discussion on “Gay Men and Reproductive Choice” on September 10th. Moderated by Ms. Boggis, director of Center Kids, the family program of the LGBT Community Center, the program offered the latest news
about surrogacy, gestational carriers, egg donation, legal risks for gay parents, costs of treatment, and emotional aspects of
parenting for gay men who want to have a baby. go to story...
Features
Community spotlight: Center Kids
Supporting &Advocating for NY-Metro LGBT Families
By Terry Boggis, director of Center Kids
Center Kids is the family program of the New York’s LGBT Community Center. Currently, more than 2,500 families in the tri-state area utilize Center Kids programs for LGBT parents, their children and for those considering parenthood. The center, which also advocates at state and local levels for the rights of alternative families, has become a model for regional and national LGBT family organizations. go to article...
Announcing: Referral Gift Program
Circle Surrogacy is proud to announce that it will donate $300 to Center Kids on behalf of each former client or surrogate who will refer a New York /Center Kids client to us. Just ask your friends to mention that you referred them, or notify us by email when you send your friends over!
Circle Surrogacy has always benefited from recommendations from our satisfied clients, and we will be pleased to reward the entire parent community for this support.
IVF Maximizes Parenthood Choices for Gay Men
Crucial choices on the road to fatherhood
By Dr. Doyle, Connecticut Fertility Associates
As the number of gay couples and individuals using surrogacy to achieve biological parenthood keeps growing, there has been a transition from traditional to gestational surrogacy, involving in vitro fertilization (IVF). Through the services of egg donors and gestational carriers, it is now common to utilize IVF to maximize personal choice, security and success in the process. Indeed, statistics reveals that current IVF attempts at our clinics are 70% successful in achieving
pregnancy. go to article...
Meet the Staff: Rachel Berman, LCSW
Program Coordinator /Social Worker
I have my Master's of Social Work from Boston University. The past seven years I have counseled children and families in a variety of settings. For three years before coming to Circle I worked in the area of adoption. Specifically, I was responsible for screening, matching, and counseling/supporting families hoping to adopt a child, through all stages of the adoption process. I am very excited to be part of John's program and to have the opportunity to continue to help create
and support families through their surrogacy journeys.
About Circle Surrogacy:
Since 1995, Circle Surrogacy has helped bring to the world almost 200 babies.
Its dedicated staff of professionals is made up of lawyers, social workers,
parents through surrogacy, surrogates and past clients. Circle Surrogacy
provides a choice of specialized clinics at locations throughout the country, a
large selection of egg donors, swift matching with carefully screened
surrogates, and a variety of flexible programs and financial options to suit its
clients’ unique family choices.
John Weltman, owner, founder is a Yale graduate and a nationally recognized
expert in the field of reproductive law, including surrogacy and gay
parenting.
Join John Weltman and his family this summer at the R Family Vacations 
Highly recommended: "
On September 11th, an unusual group met in New York for a special event. As a growing number of gay couples form families with the help of egg donors and surrogates, Circle Surrogacy, a leading surrogacy agency celebrated the birth of its 150th baby with a reunion party. In attendance were more than a dozen NY City gay families formed through surrogacy,
along with some of the surrogates, medical staff, and the agency staff who helped make all this possible. While several of the children attending were 5-10 years old, most were infants and toddlers, reflecting the “gaby boom” of the last few years.
Circle Surrogacy’s president, John Weltman, along with a CS parent and a two time CS surrogate, joined with the New York gay community for a panel discussion on “Gay Men and Reproductive Choice” on September 10th. Moderated by Ms. Boggis, director of Center Kids, the family program of the LGBT Community Center, the program offered the latest news
about surrogacy, gestational carriers, egg donation, legal risks for gay parents, costs of treatment, and emotional aspects of
parenting for gay men who want to have a baby.
By Dr. Doyle, Connecticut Fertility Associates