Surrogacy in Syracuse

For women who have been unsuccessful with first-line infertility treatments, surrogacy may provide a way for them to build their families. It is an option for women with uterine abnormalities, recurrent miscarriages, or problems carrying a pregnancy to term. Gay couples also may use a surrogate to have a family.

Surrogates are women who carry a child for another individual or a couple. There are two types of surrogates. A traditional surrogate is inseminated with sperm from a donor or from the male partner of the couple. The resulting child is biologically related to the surrogate, since her own eggs were used in the conception. Gestational surrogacy is more common. In this case, the gestational surrogate is implanted with an embryo, which can come from the couple or from another donor. Because her eggs are not used, the resulting child will not be a biological relation to the surrogate.

Surrogacy Laws in New York

New York’s ruling on surrogacy can be found in Article 8 of the New York Domestic Relation Law. This article states that surrogacy agreements are void and unenforceable, since they go against public policy.

A money exchange is not allowed in a surrogacy agreement, other than compensation for hospital or medical fees. Those who are involved in a surrogacy agreement can be punished with fines of up to $500. For those who arrange the surrogacy agreements, the fines grow to up to $10,000.

However, while surrogacy agreements are considered against public policy, New York courts have ruled in favor of intended parents in regards to their parental rights. The 1994 case McDonald v. McDonald ruled that an intended mother can be considered the natural parent of a child born as a result of gestational surrogacy.

Syracuse Surrogacy Agencies

Surrogacy agencies match up potential parents with a prospective surrogate. They also require vigorous physical and emotional screening for the surrogates before they can progress with the surrogacy process.

The following surrogacy agencies work with New York residents:

• Growing Generations
• Northeast Assisted Fertility Group
• SurrogateNY.com

Some patients prefer to work directly with a fertility clinic to match them with a surrogate. In Syracuse, the CNY Fertility Center works with surrogates.