April is National Infertility Awareness Month and Brooke Goff, an openly gay, 37-year-old attorney and business owner in Connecticut, is ensuring that all women have the freedom to reproduce by offering a generous in-vitro fertilization benefit to her predominantly female staff. Please read the below timely news given the recent national controversy over IVF and fetal personhoods and us know if you’d like to interview Brooke about her inspiring parenthood journey and legal commentary on the issue.
Lesbian Law Firm Owner Ensures “Reproductive Freedom” for All-Female Staff
-CONTRIBUTES $430,000 FOR IVF TREATMENTS AMIDST COURT CONTROVERSY-
(West Hartford, CT) – March 19, 2024 – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in five couples in the U.S. struggles with some form of infertility. The biggest roadblock for most of them to start on the path of parenthood is the high cost of fertility treatments. To ease that financial burden and help those seeking to start a family achieve success, Brooke Goff, founder and president of Goff Law Group in Connecticut, has pledged $430,000.00 to offset the massive expense of the fertility process. The enhanced benefit is a hot topic given the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling on “fetal personhoods” and the uncertain future of the procedure.
“I knew at a young age that I wanted to have a family, yet I also knew that as a gay woman, I would need some assistance from science,” said Attorney Brooke Goff, owner of Goff Law Group, a personal injury law firm in Connecticut. “In vitro fertilization fulfilled my desire to carry a child and experience the beautiful journey of pregnancy, something every woman should be entitled to if she so desires regardless of her sexuality.”
That’s why in 2022, Attorney Goff began researching viable solutions and was told that only larger global companies, not small businesses, would even consider fertility health coverage.
“I was taken aback that more small businesses do not invest in their employees across the board- with family planning and creation,” she adds. “Employees are the lifeblood of any company and if a business owner wants continued success and profitability, he or she should be investing in their employees’ family – both present and future.”
Undeterred, Attorney Goff eventually partnered with Carrot, a third-party health benefit company, and absorbed the entire near half-a-million-dollar cost of implementing the program. Specifics of Goff Law Group’s comprehensive IVF program include:
- mental health counseling as related to the infertility process
- individual infertility journey design and implementation
- access to over 800 clinics throughout the United States
- discount coverage for infertility care including but not limited to IVF, IUI, surrogacy, adoption, preservation of embryos, genetic testing, and medications related to infertility
- coverage for after birth lactation services, overnight doulas, and women’s behavioral health as related to postpartum
“It has always been my belief that every woman deserves the right to have a family and unfortunately, it is easier for some than others,” said Attorney Goff. “When infertility comes into the mix, it adds unplanned costs to the family and a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. Hence, it is important to offer a benefit with full-spectrum physical and mental health care.”
Attorney Goff explains that although some health insurance plans cover run-of-the-mill infertility treatments, they may have certain requirements as a result of strict state mandates such as 12 months of unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant and other limitations based on the age of the woman. She further notes that health insurance typically does not cover surrogacy, adoption, egg harvesting, donor eggs, or donor sperm. “I wanted to provide something better to my employees alternative to the minimal health insurance coverages currently on the market,” Attorney Goff adds.
Regarding the recent Alabama legislation that allows couples undergoing IVF to sue a fertility clinic for lost or damaged embryos under the state’s wrongful death law, Attorney Goff explains that the ruling takes away pregnancy options and freedoms from potential parents who desperately desire a biological family. She believes that couples who are having infertility issues will now be deterred in using IVF intervention due to the risk of criminalization if their embryos are not used or disposed of properly.
“The ruling is making a lot of assumptions as to what might happen in that an embryo is a promise of pregnancy not an actual pregnancy,” said Attorney Goff. “The ruling should be appealed and overturned so as not to limit a family’s ability to conceive and reproduce. This is not a woman issue- it’s a family issue.”
When asked if she has any concerns about her female employees becoming mothers and its residual impact on her firm’s bottom line due to them being out of the office for sick days, Attorney Goff notes that she prefers hiring working mothers because they do the same amount of work in eight hours that others often do in twelve since they have learned excellent time management and organization skills, patience, and compassion while raising a family – all essential traits in operating a legal business. Goff Law Group is currently the largest women-owned and operated personal injury law firm in the state and is predominately made up of a female staff.
“Everyone has their own parenting journey and I want to open all of the doors for my employees to select one that universally meets their medical history, sexual preference and financial situation,” concludes Attorney Goff. “Doing my part to give my employees hope and direction in creating a family is something I take very seriously – and so should everyone else.”
About Attorney Brooke Goff
Attorney Brooke Goff is the founder and president of Goff Law Group, the largest woman-owned and operated personal injury law firm in Connecticut, comprised of 12 experienced female attorneys with various litigation backgrounds and skillsets. The firm’s foundation is built on its aggressive, no-nonsense tactics, free consultations, direct attorney access and a 99% resolution result rate. Arguably the most public openly female gay lawyer in the region, Attorney Goff has been named one of the Top 10 Most Influential People in Legal Services for 2024 and has earned the Super Lawyer Rising Star Award for the past seven years. Attorney Goff is a sought-after speaker at numerous elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as colleges and universities about the importance of education and pursuing one’s dreams. She is an inspiration for girls and a strong advocate for women to live their authentic lives. Visit for more information.
PHOTO: Attorney Brooke Goff, founder and owner of Goff Law Group in Connecticut, is helping her employees start a family by offering a bonus health benefit by pledging $430,000.00 for coverage of infertility treatments. Photo from left: Attorney Brooke Goff, her wife Angeline Ioannou, and their children 11-year-old Grayson and 5-month-old Victoria, who were conceived via IVF and IUI, are a refreshing example of the modern family.
Credit: Goff Law Group
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
