Nobody likes it; nobody wants to read it, but you HAVE TO READ YOUR SURROGACY CONTRACT. Seriously, our surrogacy agency, Shared Conception, cannot stress this enough. Everything you ever wanted, needed, and never even thought of knowing is in there. It’s the Rosetta Stone of surrogacy and we are talking to everyone- surrogates, egg donors, and intended parents alike. If you think of absolutely any questions whatsoever, we promise you will find the answer in your contract.
“Hey, my surrogate wants to go cross country skiing, can she do that?”
The answer is in there! I’m not kidding. And by the way answer is no.
Fertility lawyers need to think of every situation and every solution.
“Can I have sex after a transfer?” Or
“Is organic food reimbursable?” Or
“Who pays the insurance copays?” Or
“Does the surrogate have a right to see our baby after she gives birth?”
It’s funny, the questions you think of after entering a legally binding situation, stuff that never would have occurred to you before this amazing journey began. But you know what? You are in no way the first to think of these questions, so ask away. Your attorney will gladly give you the page number of your personalized contract that will tell you all you need to know.
Before you’ve even put pen to paper your lawyer will have told you so much. They’ll have gone over every single page with you. You’ll have tweaked it here and there and it’ll have gone back and forth between parties. There is a lot of legislation to do with surrogacy and that’s a good thing, even if it is tedious. And you know what? You won’t remember most of it. There is no way, unless you have a photographic memory, you will know what and where you read that certain line that you now need to know. And that’s ok too. You’ll have a copy that will become your best friend. Your own treasure map, so to speak. Do you want your stress levels to go down and your anxiety to melt away? Then read your contract. It will guide you through with the comforting reassurance that can only come from the law.
Knowing your rights and staying well informed from beginning to end makes for such a smoother journey. Trust us, we know. Let’s talk more about surrogacy, give us a call.