Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A: I live in Pennsylvania and the potential surrogate lives in New York. How can I find a physician who deals with this procedure? I have been told AI is not legal in New York.

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Surrogate Mothers Online Q & A

Q & A: Legal/Contract Issues - Surrogacy

Topics may include contracts, legal fees, establishing parental rights, etc.

27. I live in Pennsylvania and the potential surrogate lives in New York. How can I find a physician who deals with this procedure? I have been told AI is not legal in New York. - Jill in PA - Top

Jill,

If I am not mistaken all forms of paid surrogacy are illegal in NY. I do believe there are some places in NJ that will do GS but I do not think they do AI. With AI you do have the option of doing home inseminations and having SM put your husband's name on the birth certificate. She can then relinquish all of her rights allowing you to do a step parent adoption, which would result in a new birth certificate being issued with your name on it.

However, in order to do this, you must trust your SM completely and she must trust you because you have no legal recourse if she changes her mind and she has none if you refuse to honor your agreement. You may be better going through an agency or looking at other near by states to see if one is surrogate friendly.

Hope this helps.

Lynn - Updated: January 31, 2000
Topics may include contracts, legal fees, establishing parental rights, etc.

27. I live in Pennsylvania and the potential surrogate lives in New York. How can I find a physician who deals with this procedure? I have been told AI is not legal in New York. - Jill in PA - Top: Jill,

If I am not mistaken all forms of paid surrogacy are illegal in NY. I do believe there are some places in NJ that will do GS but I do not think they do AI. With AI you do have the option of doing home inseminations and having SM put your husband's name on the birth certificate. She can then relinquish all of her rights allowing you to do a step parent adoption, which would result in a new birth certificate being issued with your name on it.

However, in order to do this, you must trust your SM completely and she must trust you because you have no legal recourse if she changes her mind and she has none if you refuse to honor your agreement. You may be better going through an agency or looking at other near by states to see if one is surrogate friendly.

Hope this helps.

Lynn - Updated: January 31, 2000

Unless stated otherwise, all responses in the SMO Q&A are courtesy of one or more of the following hosts:

Sherry - Experienced gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement

Linda - New Mommy to twins born via gestational surrogacy and egg donation

Jennifer S. - Experienced AI surrogate

Lynn - New Mommy to a daughter born via traditional surrogacy

Tracie - 5 time egg donor (triplets, 2 sets of twins and 2 singletons) and 3 time surrogate (2-AI, 1-IVF).

Lisa - Experienced egg donor and previous gestational surrogate currently working on her 2nd surrogacy arrangement (Lisa was our former ED host, prior to July 1999.)
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