For gay and lesbian individuals and couples in decades past, it was difficult to fulfill dreams of becoming parents and building a family. Domestic adoption agencies tended to prioritize married, heterosexual couples. Thanks to marriage equality, it’s now somewhat easier for same-sex couples to become parents through adoption, but many are instead choosing to pursue surrogacy as a means of growing their families.
A recent New York Times story profiled two gay men who each realized their dreams of fatherhood through surrogacy arrangements. One of the men traveled across the country to enter into a gestational surrogacy arrangement through an agency because paid surrogacy wasn’t legal in his state at the time. His twin sons were conceived using donor eggs. The other man entered into an agreement with a lesbian acquaintance who didn’t want children of her own but was willing to undergo in vitro fertilization and carry his child for him.
While single, gay fathers are still rare, they are part of a growing number of non-traditional families created through gestational surrogacy. With gestational surrogacy, a fertilized embryo from an egg donor is fertilized and implanted in another woman who serves as the gestational carrier. Because the gestational carrier has no biological ties to the child or children she carries, she has no parental rights as long as the birth occurs in a state that recognizes surrogacy contracts.
Surrogacy can be costly; unfortunately, it’s not something that’s covered by insurance in most cases. However, it offers same-sex couples and gay and lesbian individuals an opportunity to have children with less of a chance of being discriminated against as some adoption agencies will still only work with married heterosexual couples. Adoption, of course, comes with costs and expenses too.
Surrogacy route can allow individuals or couples to experience parenthood – regardless of their sexual orientation or marital status.
If you are considering surrogacy, egg donation or sperm donation, please contact us today. Our firm is passionate about helping all intended parents create the family of their dreams. We provide comprehensive legal and counseling services for those using assisted reproduction with a third party. Each client is ensured of receiving personalized attention, support and counseling. The contracts that we prepare for our clients are comprehensive and thorough. We also help guide parents through the finalization of their parental rights, which can seem daunting and confusing. We look forward to helping you!
