The fight continues…
Our founders Michael and Wes are no stranger to activism. Since they launched their first business venture together, TwoDadsUK® in 2017, life has become busier, and the people they support shows no sign of slowing down.
Michael and Wes have spoken in parliament, advised on Department of Health and Social Care guidance, helped transform over 80 NHS Trusts maternity services policies. Then in February 2021 M&W launched My Surrogacy Journey®, the nonprofit surrogacy organisation you’re all familiar with today, supporting intended parents, surrogates and egg donors.
Michael Johnson-Ellis says ‘Education and Activism for us, go hand in hand. We’re passionate about showing everyone how surrogacy globally should be managed. We launched MSJ because the landscape in the UK hadn’t really moved on, support was stale or the options to build your family were limited and were never working in conjunction with clinics, law firms and egg banks. So, we decided to do something different and change the landscape.
A personal high for the organisation was being invited to speak at the Royal College of Midwives annual congress in Liverpool, addressing 3000 midwives to understand surrogacy in the UK. The only ever surrogacy UK organisation to speak at the annual event, and again testament to the hardwork of the couple and their team.
Their latest piece of activism is the Fertility Justice Campaign, a collaboration with several other organisations. Michael and Wes have always felt passionate about fertility equality, as their IVF with donor eggs was self funded, and not possible to access on NHS funded treatment and the challenges people from those communities face when trying to start a family. For example, same-sex female couples have to fund up to 12 rounds of artificial inseminations to prove they are infertile before being able to access fertility treatment on the NHS.
PET Director Sarah Norcross told MSJ:
‘I think there is still a stigma around fertility treatment and that some people who work at ICBs, some GPs perhaps still see it as a lifestyle thing and so are perhaps not terribly sympathetic.’
The article also quotes Laura Rose Thorogood CEO of LGBT Mummies and the fertility campaigner Freddy McConnell.
PET has joined together with DIVA, LGBT Mummies, TwoDads UK, Equality for Trans Families and Stonewall to form the Fertility Justice working group to campaign for the reproductive healthcare the LGBTQIA+ community deserves.
Collectively we have come together as a group of organisations to fight to acquire fertility justice for our community.
This includes:
- Equal and equitable access to NHS Fertility funding for all LGBTQIA+ people (including embryo creation and fertility preservation)
- Data collection on our family’s and family pathways and outcomes
- Access to purchase sperm for Informal arrangements in the home (Home Insemination
- Legal protection improvement for our LGBTQIA+ family pathways (including informal arrangements)
- Protection in the workplace for birthing and non birthing parents from discrimination
How to get involved?
Click to read our Manifesto
Our Manifesto details our collective campaign actions that we are addressing and can be downloaded
Use this MP Letter template to contact your local MP.
Find your local MP here. This can be downloaded and edited to send to your local MP to ask them to support the Fertility Justice campaign so we can acquire equity and equality for all LGBTQIA families.
