Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, hello nappies and sleepless nights

Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born weighing 7lb 15oz, to an unnamed woman in California.
There was speculation that his second name was a tribute to Sir Elton’s friendship with the late singer Michael Jackson and Levon is the title of a song from Sir Elton’s 1971 album Madman Across The Water.
The couple are believed to have paid an agency more than £100,000.
“We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment,” Sir Elton, 63, and Mr Furnish, 48, said in a joint statement. “Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents.”
It was not clear whether the birth was natural, induced or the result of an elective Caesarean. Mr Furnish, as the younger man by 15 years, is thought more likely to be the sperm donor.
He said it typically took 18 months for a couple to complete the process, and the total cost for a same-sex couple, including medical and legal expenses, was about $150,000, including a $20,000 to $30,000 fee for the surrogate mother.
Prospective parents usually meet the surrogate several times before the pregnancy, and provide the agency with photographs of the baby up to the age of 24 months.
Age was considered when prospective parents applied: “One might be a bit older but the other might be younger. We do worry about longevity but it averages out.”
Sir Elton and Mr Furnish’s civil partnership was formalised in 2005 and the singer had spoken of his desire to become a father, announcing last autumn that he had overcome his doubts about his age and wanted to adopt a 14-month-old orphan boy from Ukraine.
The plans were thwarted by Ukrainian laws which do not recognise same-sex civil partnerships. British law changed in April when it became legal for two men to have a child by a surrogate and for both men’s names to appear on the birth certificate as legal parents.
Surrogacy is still tightly regulated in Britain and couples often consider travelling abroad, where the rules are less strict.
Sir Elton’s announcement was greeted with concern from some groups. Josephine Quintavalle, founder of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said: “Although I am sure Elton’s child will not want for anything, money is not everything. There is very much an age for being a parent and an age for being a grandparent.
“It would be very difficult to adopt a child at 63 but we seem to have a different approach to approving surrogacy parents.”
Andrea Williams, head of Christian Concern, said: “Children are not commodities. Just because you can buy or access something does not give you the right to do so.”
Elizabeth Hurley, the model and actress, was among the first to offer her best wishes, writing on the Twitter microblogging service: “Massive congratulations to David and Elton on having their beautiful son. Can’t wait for my first cuddle.”
Piers Morgan, who spoke to Sir Elton on ITV’s Life Stories, was caught out by the news, writing: “Feel such a fool – Sir Elton never even hinted he was pregnant during our interview.”
The singer Boy George commented: “What does it matter, gay or straight, if they make great loving parents?”

Britain's first gay surrogate parents to open surrogacy centre for same-sex couples

A unique centre for same-sex couples who want to have children is to open.

Danbury couple Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow will run the British Surrogacy Agency, which will be the first of its kind in the country.

The centre will operate from Chandlers Quay, Maldon, and will also have offices in San Francisco, where the couple spend a lot of time.

Local jobs will be created by the project, which is set to open in late January.

Barrie Drewitt-Barlow said: “The centre will focus on all things surrogacy-related and will be the first centre of its kind in the UK.

“Its aim is to bring together intended parents with egg donors and surrogate, along with sperm donors, and offer legal advice from qualified legal professionals.

“I will be responsible for the assessment of intended patients and the assessments of potential egg donors and surrogates, and for helping with all legal documentation to allow each couple to bring home their baby to the UK.”

According to Mr Drewitt-Barlow, the company is already employing “several” local people, the number of whom will increase as it grows. It will have a web presence at www.thebritishsurrogacycentre.com which is set to launch this week.

The couple made history 11 years ago when they were named on the birth certificate as parents to twins, Saffron and Aspen, who were born to a surrogate mother – the first same-sex UK couple to do so.

They now have five children having fathered another set of twins, Jasper and Dallas, last year and have another son, Orlando, who is seven.

Barrie Drewitt-Barlow was pleased to hear Elton John and his partner David Furnish became parents over Christmas.

The couple’s baby boy was born to a surrogate mother in California, after they tried unsuccessfully to adopt an orphan in the Ukraine last year.

Mr Drewitt-Barlow said his and his partner’s parenthood has paved the way for other gay couples to become fathers.

He said: “Tony and I never set out to be trail-blazers in any way whatsoever. But we are happy many people over the years have followed in our footsteps.

“It’s even better to know celebrities like Elton have done the same thing now. It’s positive news for gay parenting.

“The more high-profile the people using surrogacy to start their families, the more mainstream it becomes.”

The substantial press coverage given to the pair over the years has raised awareness of the issue of surrogacy.

Barrie, 41, a businessman from Danbury, said: “Elton and David will not have the same issues as we did.

“Like any first, we have taken most of the criticism and the flak which will make it easier for anyone else taking this pathway to parenthood.

“There are many gay parents now in the UK thanks to the measures we took more than a decade ago.

“The awareness to gay parenting is 100 times higher now.

“Elton and David will be amazing parents. I just wish they would adopt me!”

He added society is now more tolerant towards gay parents, but “there is a long way to go”.

Connecticut's landmark legal decision in establishing parentage for gay parents

In an unprecedented decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that two gay men could be recognized as legal parents on the birth certificate of their twins born through surrogacy. This is the first time in U.S. history that a state high court has acknowledged the parentage of two men, and it has created a new way by which persons may become legal parents.

“This is the single most important decision in the history of gay men having children through surrogacy,’ said John Weltman, Esq. (pictured), president of Circle Surrogacy, and author of an amicus brief in the case. “For a state high court to recognize the right of two gay men to be legal fathers of a child from the outset of the surrogacy process sets an incredible precedent. Furthermore, it positions Connecticut as one of the best states in the country for couples – gay and straight - to pursue gestational surrogacy with egg donation to create their family.”

Anthony Raftopol and Shawn Hargon, an American couple residing in Hungary, had a daughter through surrogacy, and were both recognized as her child’s legal father on the birth certificate. They then had twins in April 2008 through the same gestational surrogate and egg donor. When the couple petitioned the court to be named as the children’s legal parents, the court granted their petition. However, this time the Attorney General, acting on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Health, attempted to block the creation of the birth certificate, stating that parentage could only be established through conception, adoption or artificial insemination.

The Supreme Court rejected this claim, noting that according to the Department of Health’s argument, a child born to an infertile couple who had entered into a gestational agreement with egg and sperm donors and a gestational carrier would be born parentless.