Family planning through surrogacy is a truly unique journey. However, it seems that not every intended parent has an equal opportunity to seize parenthood via surrogacy. Why there’re still obstacles in the 21st century for LGBT individuals, pursuing the surrogacy path? How to face and eliminate those challenges efficiently? Let’s find out the answers and tips given by WCOB in Mexico director Maria Esther Vega.

In this blog post you will discover:

• 5 significant barriers for LGBT intended parents in the surrogacy journey;
• key aspects to pay attention to while choosing a surrogacy agency;
• top-3 recommendations on how to navigate through legal issues for same-sex couples.

Barriers LGBT Intended Parents Might Face

If you’re a member of the LGBT community, we kindly advise you to pay attention to a couple of significant aspects that may transform into serious barriers on your way to receiving a baby via surrogacy. The list disclosed below by our reproductive expert Maria Vega can suit you as a helpful guide while choosing a reliable surrogacy agency for your dream fulfillment. 

1. IVF clinic staff is not trained to cater to the needs of LGBT IPs.

There are different fertility clinics and agencies with a different spectrum of services. That’s why it’s important for you as an intended parent to identify what is the specialty of the chosen agency? Is it gestational surrogacy, IVF treatment, or HIV surrogacy? Are there any successful cases related to LGBT surrogacy? 

So the ideal variant will be choosing a full-service surrogacy agency/clinic with a versatile approach that operates in countries with surrogacy-friendly laws for LGBT IPs.

2. Lack of cultural competency.

When we talk about surrogacy, especially international one, it presupposes welcoming intended parents from different countries with different cultures and mindsets. That’s why it’s highly important for clinic representatives and medical staff to be competent enough to make you feel at home even in a foreign country.

3. Discrimination in accepting intended parents.

The lack of training in the fertility clinics to assist diverse communities makes a lot of LGBT intended parents feel like surrogacy is a nightmare instead of a sweet dream and that they shouldn’t follow this path. But it’s not true. This is just the result of a wrong attitude. So please, do not give up on your dream to receive a baby via surrogacy. Search for a proven surrogacy agency with an open-minded personalized attitude instead.

4. Minimizing the LGBT IP’s concerns.

From WCOB’s personal experience, we can firmly state that it’s impossible to sign up an LGBT intended parent to a certain program without digging deeper into their concerns first. Understanding what potential fears and phobias gay IPs have is the key to establishing trust between the clinic staff and the intended parent. 

5. Ignoring the non-spouse in the LGBT couple.

World Center of Baby believes that if your partner or significant other is important to you and plays a crucial role in your family planning, then this person is equally important to us. Because we are trying our best to ensure that you get the safest and smoothest surrogacy experience.

Navigating Through Legal Issues in LGBT Surrogacy

In order not to get caught in the legal hoops, WCOB’s expert Ms. Vega gives 3 useful suggestions for LGBT couples to navigate through legal issues on their way to receiving a baby via surrogacy.

1. Choose an attorney who has experience in ART (assisted reproductive technologies).

You may find a really good lawyer with yearly experience, but if he doesn’t know what ART stands for, he is likely not to help you combat legal challenges during the surrogacy journey. That’s why it is absolutely vital to refer to a lawyer who has a successful case of a smooth surrogacy exit process behind his back.

2. Ensure that the proper altruistic surrogacy contracts are in place.

There is a practice in some fertility clinics to sign an internal contract between the surrogate/egg donor and IPs. However, very often such agreements cannot protect you in terms of legal parental rights over a newborn. So the question you must ask while interviewing surrogacy agencies is “What kind of contract will I sign: an internal one or before a judge?” And it’s highly recommendable to opt for the latter variant.

3. Co-manage with your home country attorney.

This recommendation is truly beneficial since you will be covered on both ends of the world thanks to co-managing between your home country solicitor and the legal team inside the chosen reproductive clinic. Moreover, such cooperation guarantees that you as an LGBT intended parent will return safely to your home country with a baby that has a legally registered birth certificate with your name on it.

We sincerely hope that this set of tips and guidelines was useful and made a meaningful contribution to your family planning via surrogacy. If you are ready to embark on a surrogacy journey, World Center of Baby will be utmostly grateful to become your supporting partner in it. Just complete a short introductory form and get in touch with our manager for further details.