Lately, the news has been covering stories of surrogacy ending badly. There have been many tragic, heartbreaking tales surfacing of surrogacies gone wrong. Babies are being abandoned or fought over, and families and friendships are being ruined.
However, as with the case of any news reports, the negativity is always going to outweigh the positivity. For that reason, we want to shine the light on how it’s possible to have an amazing surrogacy experience.
It all starts with due diligence. It’s no secret that surrogacy is not well-regulated in many foreign countries, and that attracts couples and individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to go through with surrogacy.
While we’re all for surrogacy being an option to those who need it, there are good ways and bad ways of going about the process. Let’s take a look at the right way to go about your surrogacy journey.
What Makes a Good Surrogacy Agency
Transparency and authenticity are extremely important when dealing with a surrogacy agency – especially when a precious life depends on it. No child should be subjected to abuse and neglect after being born.
Surrogates Across America aims to be transparent every step of the way. We never hide information from either party, we answer any questions you may have, and we seek to educate the individuals we help. We know that there’s a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to gestational surrogacy, and we want to make sure you’re properly informed!
Surrogacy requires tremendous effort on behalf of all parties involved. We only wish to see both parties happy and bursting with gratitude at the end of their journey together.
To ensure a smooth process, we have a thorough screening procedure in place. If you’re interested in applying to be a surrogate with us, you fill out an application, and then we review it.
If we think you’re a great candidate based off your application, we will email you a profile to fill out. Once that’s complete, we’ll then schedule an initial phone call with you to discuss your profile.
We do our absolute best in matching our surrogates with intended parents. The journey of surrogacy is a long and meaningful one – it’s essential that you’re paired up with those you can share the highs and lows with as well as fitting with your family dynamics and values.
Once a match is made, we have the surrogate and intended parents get on the phone or Skype with each other to make sure all are comfortable and in agreement on what will happen during the surrogacy arrangement, pregnancy and after.
This is where rules and regulations come into play. It’s not a fun topic to discuss, but should any complications arise during the pregnancy, there must be an agreement between both parties as to what actions should be taken in certain situations.
Unfortunately, no one likes to think of the worst happening, but in some cases, it does. That’s why it’s critical to discuss these issues beforehand.
Once an agreement is reached, the screening process goes a step further: we require that all individuals involved go through a criminal background check, a psychological evaluation, a medical evaluation, and we will request medical records to be reviewed by the perspective clinic involved. This is done for the safety and protection of both parties.
Don’t Take Shortcuts with Surrogacy
For the reasons listed above, we strongly urge intended parents and surrogates to go through a reputable third party. Finding someone online on a forum, or recruiting a friend, can lead to heartbreak. Yes, it works out favorably for some families, but others come to regret their decisions.
It’s upsetting to see so many stories circulating about surrogacy gone wrong when there are laws in place in many states (here in the US) for a reason. While we understand how much starting a family means to couples, cutting corners to make it happen often isn’t the best move.
If you’re thinking about gestational surrogacy, please don’t let these stories taint your view of the industry. We care deeply about all of our wonderful surrogate mothers who volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts to help create families, and we take great care in making sure our intended parents have the utmost faith and trust in us and their surrogates.
If you would like more information about becoming a surrogate mother or about surrogacy in general, please contact Surrogates Across America.
