First of all I would like to say that you have a very wonderful website! Extremely informative. It's like my little guide book.
I have a few questions for you.
1. What are the most important questions to ask my attorney before entering the surrogacy process?
(I am looking for a surrogate to carry a baby produced by my fiance's sperm and a donor egg)
2. If the baby is not biologically mine, do I have to adopt it once I am married (through step-parent adoption?) and do I have to go through the regular adoption process such as homestudy, background check and social worker hassle? Or can I get part guardianship of the child?
3. Is my sister legally old enough to be a surrogate if we go through an independent surrogacy?
She is 18, and I myself am only 20.
She would be using a donor egg. I don't know if the clinic that would preform the procedure would allow her to because of her age.
4. Are there any surrogacy loans? What if I have no credit?
5. If I go independently, what will my average total cost be?
An estimate with my sister being surrogate with no fee, and an estimate if I must find an older, non related surrogate with a compensation of about 15,000 dollars.
Thank you so much for the site and for answering our questions and helping make millions of families dreams come true.
Reply by Rayven
Sarah,
How lucky you are to have such a wonderful sister! Let me answer your questions.
1. You'll want to make sure your attorney is a qualified surrogacy attorney, not simply an adoption or family law attorney. Ask about the different laws regarding surrogacy that pertain to your state, and if it is possible for you to obtain a Pre Birth Order.
2. You will need to ask your attorney about this. Laws vary by state.
3. You will need to ask your attorney about this and/or clinic. Usually, the 21 or older rule pertains to entering into the contract.
4. No. There are no loans for surrogacy. If you have not established credit, it would be very difficult to obtain an unsecured loan for this reason. Most intended parents save for years, or are older and more financially secure.
5. Costs vary with surrogacy. A good range would be $40,000-100,000+ for using your sister. Add another $15,000 with your desired surrogate fee. Surrogacy is very expensive, and completely different for each journey.
