Roughly 750 new babies are born through surrogacy each year. If you are unable to carry a child on your own, surrogacy can be an option to consider, but there are reasons you will need an attorney in the process.

Here is a look at some of the reasons you may need a family lawyer when arranging a surrogate pregnancy. 

A lawyer will help you draw up the proper paperwork. 

Arranging for a surrogate pregnancy involves a lot of paperwork that will be used before the arrangement sets in motion and after the child is born. You may need contracts stating things like:

  • Who will be covering the expenses of the pregnancy 
  • What the surrogate mother's legal restrictions or responsibilities are during the pregnancy 
  • What will happen when the child is born (i.e. where will delivery take place, will the surrogate get time with the child, etc.)

In addition, there can be paperwork to fill out and file regarding the legal custody of the child. A family law attorney will help you through this whole process to make sure every angle of the arrangement is properly covered, documented, and protected by contract. 

A lawyer can guide you through the process legally. 

Surrogacy is such a unique situation in terms of legal ideas like child custody. It is really easy to step out of legal boundaries without meaning to do so if you are not well-informed about what you can and cannot do. For example, some states may require the child born via a surrogate to be adopted by the parents who arranged for the surrogacy, and this can be more common if the surrogate's eggs were used or donor sperm was used to conceive the child. 

A lawyer will keep you informed about the laws on surrogacy in your state. 

Even though surrogacy is far more common now than what it once was, it is still relatively new in terms of legal restrictions. As it is with all relatively modern legal matters, things can change drastically as laws are updated and guidelines are enacted. Keeping up with how local laws affect the surrogacy process can be a bit difficult because of this. Having a lawyer will mean that you have someone who will keep up with the local laws and information so you stay informed throughout the process. 

If you are considering surrogacy due to infertility, marital situations, or other factors, contact a law firm like Johnson/Turner Legal today.

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