Surrogacy versus adoption: the pros and cons

Couples who are unable to have children of their own, either because of fertility problems or because they are a gay couple, will now find that they have more options. As they can, choose adoption or surrogacy.

However, the choice will be very personal. Does the couple feel the need to be genetically related to their child? Now there is gestational surrogacy, as well as traditional surrogacy. In gestational surrogacy, if the mother is still able to reproduce her own eggs but is unable, for whatever reason, to carry the child to term or at all, then the egg can be taken from the intended mother, fertilized with the intended father’s sperm, and then placed in the surrogate’s uterus to be carried by the surrogate mother for the next nine months. As with traditional surrogacy, where a sperm donor is needed for the surrogate mother to become pregnant and then carry the baby to the nest for nine months.

There are many lesbian and gay adoption laws in foreign countries and yet, even in so-called enlightened countries, there are still people with strong feelings against issues like gay and lesbian adoption. Because of this, most gay and lesbian couples have already taken the surrogate route and have been building their families that way for a long time.

Also, a large number of foreign countries are now closing their doors to prospective adoptive parents. Guatemala closed its doors to international adoption in 2007, Vietnam in 2008. Furthermore, staying in these countries while all the legal requirements involved in adoption are resolved can be very arduous and somewhat costly. There are also quite a few uncertainties involved in domestic adoption, which is why so many people are now opting for intercountry adoption, but as more and more countries make it impossible or extremely difficult, this option is now not so easy.

The vast majority of people will not be able to afford the high cost of American surrogacy. Very often, it can be as high as $ 100,000 or more. In most cases, this is done through an agency, but as it can be a very complex process, it is not advisable to try to cut costs by doing it alone. An agency will help you in many different ways.

Due to the high cost of domestic surrogacy, there are many couples now seeking international surrogacy. India has been offering this service to foreign prospective parents for a long time, but right now, due to the riots in India and the recent bombings, most international parents have started looking elsewhere. Ukraine also offers this service to foreigners looking for surrogate mothers outside their own country. Furthermore, in Ukraine it is illegal for the surrogate mother to change her mind at the time of birth and keep the baby. They also have some very good agencies that will help expectant parents with any problems they may have. In addition, Russia offers this service to foreigners and Guatemala. Guatemala may seem like the best country to go to if you are an American, as you can get flights fast, cheap, and more frequently than flying to Europe or Asia. Additionally, Guatemalan agencies have some forward-thinking medical clinics with state-of-the-art care for all concerned.

So the options are pretty straightforward. You just have to sit back and find out what best suits your needs.