Surrogacy is a complicated thing and the legal implications of surrogacy can be quite hard to navigate themselves. When you decide to use surrogacy to build your family, you obviously want to ensure that everything is legal and on the right side of the law.
Of course you need to think about every contract you sign and check you write, so you need to think about handling the legal implications of surrogacy from the start of your journey. Here are some of our best tips:
Surrogacy Laws Vary From State To State
It is frustrating, but you should know the surrogacy laws for your own state as well as the surrogacy laws of the state in which your agency is, if they are different. The laws for each state will differ, with some being stricter than others. Those laws are changing by the day, usually to become more lenient for “commercial surrogacy” or surrogacy that allows the Surrogate to be paid for her time and effort.
California has long been the leading state for surrogacy, but New York has just changed its laws and it is poised to become the best state from a legal perspective.
Working With A Surrogacy Agency Is The Best Way To Ensure Legality
If you are worried about working with a Surrogate and keeping everything legal, the best thing you can do is work with an experience surrogacy agency. They know (and follow) all of the rules and regulations put forth by a particular state. In essence, you can leave the legal implications up to them and just enjoy the experience on your own.
Of course, you will have to think about them at the start and ending of your journey, but you won’t need to have that sinking fear in the back of your head that you did something wrong.
Work With A Lawyer
Even if you work with a surrogacy agency, it is important to have a lawyer on your side as well. This lawyer will help you to understand the fees process, the contracts you sign, and what needs to be done when. There are plenty of family and surrogacy lawyers out there, and your agency will even be able to connect you with someone who can help you.
While most surrogacy agencies will have a lawyer on call to help with all of the legal implications, you may want to have someone that you’ve picked as well. It will help you to feel more confident and comfortable moving forward.
Read Everything
Are you used to signing terms and conditions on your phone without reading them? Have you signed contracts without really reading them? Don’t do this with surrogacy! Be sure that you are reading every single document that comes your way. These documents control many different aspects of surrogacy, including your experience. Whether you are a Surrogate or Intended Parents, the contract often lists the amount of contact you will have, what can be expected of you, and even what happens after birth with things like breast milk.
Ready To Start Your Surrogacy Journey? Contact Us Today
Finding the right fit can be quite difficult, and as this is a big decision to make taking all the time you need to make those decisions is imperative. We are here for you whenever you make that choice. We are happy to give you more information now or schedule your consultation.
Surrogacy is an extremely rewarding experience that will change your life forever. If you are ready to get started on the surrogacy process, make sure to contact us today.
