“As a surrogacy professional, we have an important responsibility to all of our clients, but there is no greater responsibility than the one we owe to each child conceived through our surrogacy program.”
- Angie Newkirk, American Surrogacy Specialist
American Surrogacy promotes an environment of positivity, honesty, communication and excitement throughout the surrogacy process to ensure each child is born into the greatest situation possible. By making the child our collective focus, everything else seamlessly falls into place.
There are three areas in which our responsibility to the child is demonstrated:
1. The Emotional Conception
Before an embryo is physically created and developed, the idea of conceiving a baby through surrogacy must be created and developed.
The emotional conception begins when a person or couple decides to pursue parenthood through surrogacy and contacts American Surrogacy. It is then our responsibility to the child to emotionally prepare his or her parents for this journey by:
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Educating them about surrogacy to help them decide if it is truly right for their family
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Helping them let go of the dream of conceiving a baby traditionally
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Ensuring they are both individually ready to create and raise a child from surrogacy
Once the emotional conception has been achieved, the intended parents become the advocates of their child and will make every decision on behalf of him or her from this point forward.
2. The Physical Conception
Physically conceiving a baby through surrogacy requires much more than just genetic materials and a surrogate; it requires a staff of experienced professionals who understand how this stage can positively and negatively affect the child today and in the future.
Therefore, in each individual surrogacy, it is our responsibility to the child to ask:
Who is Carrying the Child? – Screening is a very important step in the overall surrogacy process because it ensures we only work with women who are physically and emotionally ready to carry another person’s child. Each of our surrogate mothers:
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has met our physical requirements for surrogacy
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has successfully carried and delivered a baby
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has family members and friends supportive of her pregnancy
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will talk openly with any of her children about the surrogacy
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will take care of the baby as if it is her own
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is proud of her decision
Who Will Support the Carrier of the Child? – In our experience, the best way to promise a successful surrogacy is by being there for the surrogate whenever she needs us. Our surrogacy specialists are always available to provide support before, during and even after the surrogacy is completed.
However, her support does not end there, as we make sure each of our surrogates are also well supported at home by family members and friends.
By finding the right surrogate and providing genuine support, it helps her continue to feel good about the surrogacy and to build attachment with the child, both of which have drastic positive effects on the child and the surrogacy itself.
Who is Genetically Connected to the Child? – If donors are required, it is our responsibility to the child to help preserve his or her genetic history by:
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recommending that intended parents only use open-identified donors
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encouraging intended parents to register their child into the Donor Sibling Registry
Furthermore, in all surrogacies, we recommend that the intended parents and surrogate have an open contact arrangement throughout this process and after its completion.
All of these components help contribute to the child’s identify formation as he or she grows older and begins wondering where his or her blue eyes or blonde hair came from, or wants to know more about his or her surrogate mother.
3. Legal Determination
It is our responsibility to the child that their parents are their legal parents from the day they are born and throughout the rest of their lives. However, surrogacy law is still being developed and varies greatly based on the donors required and the state in which the surrogacy occurs.
American Surrogacy partners with a network of attorneys who are members of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (AAARTA) and experts in determining how best to legally finalize the surrogacy in accordance with the intended parents’ situation and state laws, whether through a pre-birth order, full adoption, second adoption or stepparent adoption.
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Our primary role as a surrogacy professional is to conduct each step of the surrogacy process with the child’s well-being firmly in mind.
This commitment is found in many ways, as we promote healthy attachment between the child and surrogate, preserve genetic history to facilitate identify formation, and provide genuine support and education to the child’s carrier and parents whenever required, including for years after the surrogacy is finalized.
Contact American Surrogacy today to learn more about our Child-Focused Surrogacy Program.