International Fertility Law Group, Inc.

09/22/2026

Excited to see everyone in NYC this weekend for the MHB Conference!

If you’d like to schedule some private time with our team while you’re there, please feel free to reach out directly:

Rich Vaughn: [email protected]
Lori Meyers: [email protected]
Aurelien: [email protected]

We look forward to connecting with you in New York!

09/03/2026

⚖️ UPDATE: Federal Court Blocks Enforcement of New Birthright Citizenship Order Against Certified Class

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland issued a preliminary injunction preventing the federal government from enforcing Executive Order 14418 against members of the existing certified birthright citizenship class.

The August 6 Order seeks to create several new exceptions to birthright citizenship. For the surrogacy community, it expressly includes circumstances involving a “commercial transaction with a surrogate” in the United States when neither parent is a U.S. citizen.

A preliminary injunction is an extraordinary remedy. To obtain one, the party seeking relief must establish that it is likely to succeed on the merits, likely to suffer irreparable harm without preliminary relief, that the balance of equities tips in its favor, and that an injunction is in the public interest.

Applying that standard, Judge Boardman concluded that EO 14418 is “almost certainly unconstitutional as applied to the certified class,” pointing to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30, 2026 decision in Trump v. Barbara, which held that the children within that class are U.S. citizens at birth. The injunction prohibits federal agencies from enforcing or applying EO 14418 against members of the certified class, or from interfering with, denying, or failing to recognize their citizenship while the litigation proceeds.

What does this mean for international families pursuing surrogacy in the United States?

This is an important development, but the scope of the ruling should be understood carefully.

The court did not strike down EO 14418 in its entirety, nor did it separately hold that every child born through U.S. surrogacy to foreign intended parents necessarily falls within the protected class. The injunction protects children who are members of the previously certified class.

Federal agencies may continue developing implementation guidance under the Order while the litigation proceeds. Separate litigation concerning EO 14418 and EO 14419 remains pending, and IFLG continues to monitor these developments closely.

08/14/2026

It has been just over a week since President Trump issued two new Executive Orders addressing birth tourism and birthright citizenship, with potentially significant consequences for international families pursuing surrogacy in the United States.

A lot has happened since August 6. Here’s where things stand:

⚖️ In Barbara v. Trump, the plaintiffs returned to Judge Joseph Laplante in New Hampshire, who previously protected a nationwide group of children from the earlier order. They are asking him to confirm those protections also apply to the August 6 order, or to issue new protections. Their challenge targets the new “commercial transaction” provision.

⚖️ In CASA v. Trump, plaintiffs asked Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland to reopen the case because the new order may affect children she previously protected. She has scheduled a hearing for August 18.

One important detail emerged from the Maryland case: Government lawyers told the plaintiffs that the new citizenship order will apply only prospectively and will not take effect until implementation guidance is issued. That guidance has not yet been released, and the lawyers’ statement is not formal agency guidance.

🛂 The State Department has also announced a Birth Tourism Prevention Task Force focused on visa enforcement and suspected birth-tourism networks. The task force has been created, but there is no indication yet that it has taken enforcement action.

An important unanswered question is how the Government will distinguish traditional “birth tourism” from international intended parents traveling to the United States for a gestational surrogacy arrangement.

🔎 For now:

• Litigation is moving quickly.
• Government guidance is still expected.
• No court has yet ruled specifically on how the August 6 surrogacy provisions may apply to international intended parents or their U.S.-born children.

We’ll continue watching closely.

🍊 And because apparently August needed a little more going on, today, August 14, is National Creamsicle Day and National Financial Awareness Day.

08/11/2026

Family building can begin long before pregnancy.

Sometimes it begins with preserving the possibility of becoming a parent later.

Over the weekend, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a U.S. congresswoman representing New York, made a private fertility decision public: at 36, she has begun the process of freezing her eggs. She has spoken candidly about how long she considered the decision, the financial commitment involved, and how difficult it can be to find clear information about what the process actually entails.

Her candor makes room for a part of fertility preservation that receives far less attention: the decisions contained in the paperwork.

Egg freezing is a medical process. It is also a contractual one.

Consent and storage documents should not simply disappear into the stack of forms signed before treatment. Depending on the clinic and storage facility, those documents may address storage obligations, future use and disposition of the eggs, transfer to another facility, and how instructions can be changed as circumstances evolve.

That does not mean everyone who freezes eggs needs a fertility lawyer before retrieval. It does mean those forms deserve a slower read than they usually get.

These decisions can become more complex later. Frozen eggs may eventually be fertilized through IVF, used with donor s***m, become embryos stored for future use, or form part of a gestational surrogacy journey. At those stages, issues involving donor agreements, embryo disposition, consent, parentage, and jurisdiction can take on real legal significance.

Egg freezing preserves an opportunity, not a guarantee. Outcomes depend on individual circumstances, including age at the time of freezing and the number of eggs preserved.

At IFLG, our attorneys bring decades of combined experience working with families created through assisted reproductive technology. We welcome conversations that make fertility preservation less opaque and help people understand not only the options available to them, but the decisions that come with them.

The ART of family can begin long before pregnancy.

08/10/2026

On August 6, the Administration issued two new Executive Orders addressing birthright citizenship, including one that expressly references commercial surrogacy arrangements involving non-U.S. citizen intended parents.

What do these orders actually do? What do they not do? And how might they affect international intended parents pursuing surrogacy in the United States?

Our latest blog examines the legal theory behind the new orders, how they intersect with the Supreme Court’s recent birthright citizenship decision, and the important questions that remain unanswered as we await federal agency guidance.

For intended parents already on a surrogacy journey, the distinction between state parentage law, citizenship, and federal documentation is especially important.

Read the full analysis at the link in bio.

08/04/2026

“Sometimes you wake up on the cover of the Los Angeles Times.” — Molly O’Brien

Seven years ago, this unforgettable photo of Molly and Rich tackling a Tough Mudder appeared on the cover of the Los Angeles Times Saturday section. It resurfaced in our memories today and still captures something enduring: trust, resilience, teamwork—and a willingness to carry one another through the hard parts.

Seven years later, they are still taking on challenges side by side. Thankfully, these days, with a little less mud and more teammates to share the work. Shoutout to Lori, Julia, Phoebe, and Rachael! 😊

08/02/2026

We are so proud to celebrate Rich’s installation as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section.

As Rich reflected during the ceremony, this moment is not a pinnacle of achievement or an individual recognition. It is one point in a shared journey with his colleagues throughout the assisted reproductive technology community; his partners, Molly O’Brien and Lori Meyers; the entire IFLG team; and his husband, children, and family, who have supported him in pursuing his passion.

Rich’s leadership has long been guided by a commitment to advancing family law and protecting the many different ways families are formed. As Chair, he looks forward to contributing to the continued evolution of the law and to the important work of the Section.

At IFLG, we are deeply honored to see Rich step into this role and proud to continue this journey alongside him.

And it felt especially fitting to capture one of the moments from this weekend at Pinnacle Fertility, a reflection of the ART community that has shaped so much of Rich’s professional life and purpose.

Congratulations, Rich! 😊

TheARTOfFamily

07/27/2026

07/27/2026

IFLG announces the launch of its newly refreshed website. ❤

Designed to make it easier for individuals and professionals to find the information and legal support they need, the new site offers a clearer look at our full range of services, including surrogacy, egg, s***m, and embryo donation, parentage, and cross-border fertility law.

It also reflects the international scope of our work and the experience of a multilingual team serving clients across the United States and around the world.

We invite you to explore the new website and learn more about how IFLG supports families through every stage of their journey.

IFLG.NET

InternationalSurrogacy

07/17/2026

On July 3, 2026, the French Cour de cassation issued an important ruling for families formed through surrogacy abroad.

The Court confirmed that France’s domestic prohibition on surrogacy remains unchanged. But it also made clear that French courts cannot refuse recognition of a foreign parentage judgment solely because the child was born through surrogacy.

For French families and international intended parents, the decision offers meaningful legal clarity. Recognition remains conditional and fact-specific, with careful review of the foreign judgment, the parties involved, and especially the surrogate’s consent. But where parentage has been lawfully established abroad, the ruling provides a clearer path toward recognition in France.

We explore what the decision means, what it does not change, and why documentation remains essential.

Read the full article at the link in bio or HERE: https://www.iflg.net/french-supreme-court-surrogacy-parentage-ruling/