Few life events have the potential to be more fulfilling than welcoming a new baby into your family. After all, as a parent, you have the opportunity to mold your child into a decent human being. Your new son or daughter may also go on to improve society.
If you cannot have children or do not want to give birth, surrogacy may be an option. Generally, in the U.S., it is possible to have a surrogate carry your child to term for you. Unfortunately, though, according to Psychology Today, some states are not so favorable to surrogacy.
Commercial surrogacy
With commercial surrogacy, you pay someone to carry your child for you. Some of this compensation may go to prenatal care and other medical needs, while the rest of it helps to support the surrogate. If you intend to use commercial surrogacy, you may want to create a comprehensive agreement to protect the surrogate’s rights and your own.
Unfriendly states
Even though most states in the U.S. either expressly allow commercial surrogacy or are silent on the matter, others are downright hostile to it. Michigan, Louisiana and Nebraska either outright prohibit commercial surrogacy or prevent both parents from appearing on the child’s birth certificate. Consequently, it simply may not be possible to have a commercial surrogate in one of these states.
If your surrogate lives in Arizona, Indiana, Wyoming, Idaho, Tennessee or Virginia, you should proceed with caution, as these states have policies that may complicate your commercial surrogacy.
Ultimately, by researching the laws of the state where your commercial surrogate resides, you may avoid future hassles and heartbreaks.
