Barbara findlay (she preferred her name be written in lower case) died this month and thanks to a nudge by fertility lawyer Michelle Kinney, here is a page dedicated to the gratitude I have for what she has done for British Columbians.
She was a pioneer and did life-changing work to move forward fertility law in BC. Her core contributions to include:
She co-founded Fertility Law BC
findlay was a founding member of Fertility Law BC, an ad hoc group of specialized lawyers. She helped reshaped the legal framework surrounding assisted reproduction, making sure it evolved to protect all people, all families, and all children.
She won landmark cases that gave legal precedents for queer parents
Long before the state recognized queer and trans families, findlay cases that allowed, for example, two lesbian mothers to both be registered on their child’s birth certificate, laying the groundwork for modern fertility law which treats intentional, non-biological parents as true legal parents.
Findlay de-stigmatized and humanized legal agreements
Through her practice, findlay pioneered the use of fertility contracts and pre-conception agreements. She spent over 20 years drafting agreements for children conceived via assisted human reproduction. Her philosophy was that legal documents shouldn’t just be abstract clinical templates. Instead, intended parents, donors, and surrogates needed to see their authentic relationships and love accurately reflected in the text.
She was fiercely active as a public educator and advocate
She authored accessible resources for the public, including the foundational booklet Choosing Children: The Law for Queer People Planning Families in BC. Her tireless activism heavily influenced BC’s Family Law Act, which is widely regarded as having some of the most progressive frameworks in Canada for recognizing parentage in assisted reproduction and surrogacy.
Click the photo for a more in-depth bio.
Thank you for all of your contributions, barbara. Your legacy lives in on so many on their fertility journeys.
