International Surrogacy in the United States

International surrogacy is a hot topic this March because countries like Ireland have recently increased their restrictions on gestational surrogacy; this policy change has caused many Irish people to look abroad for their surrogacy needs. The news has been about the difficulties parents are going through over there to grow their families, and we’re glad to offer an International Surrogacy program.

Part of what makes gestational surrogacy in the United States so accessible is the laws and regulations are surrounding this Alternate Family Planning arrangement that ensures international Intended Parents will have no trouble obtaining parental rights to their child. In the United States, the Intended Parents enter into a lawful agreement with the surrogate that determines parental rights before the pregnancy begins, so the couple does not have to pursue adoption afterward.

Ireland adds to the list of many countries that don’t allow gestational surrogacy, despite the proof that it grows families and helps with the battle against infertility. Lots of countries such as France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, and India have made it nearly impossible to have a gestational surrogacy journey. In addition, there are a lot of countries where surrogacy is legal, but egg donation is not, like Israel.

So what does it take to have a gestational pregnancy in the US? It’s not as difficult as you may believe. You will need to visit the United States a few times during the process; an initial screening at your clinic and to meet your surrogate, for the 20-week ultrasound where you can learn gender, and at the birth. Most  International couples opt to stay in the United States for 2-3 weeks following the birth of their children to bond with them and get everything completed.  We assist all our International couples with obtaining their child’s birth certificate and their child’s U.S. passport for international travel so that they can make the most out of these first few weeks.

This month, our own Kristen Hanson spoke at the Men Having Babies conference in Tel Aviv about financial options for gay couples who are interested in having biological children through surrogacy.  Our International Surrogacy program is open to anyone interested, so we recommend researching the subject here.