Surrogacy 101: Becoming an Intended Parent

After your retainers and Retainer fee are received, we’ll complete your retainers and return them to you. We will collect your information, such as address, phone numbers, Social Security numbers and Driver’s license numbers so that we can run background checks on you. The background check is vitally important, because if you have any criminal history it may prevent you from becoming a Parent through our program. Certain crimes may mean you have to undergo more extensive review, such as a home study or social worker review. It is important that we are aware of anything that would hinder your status as a client in our program, so we do the background checks first.

Once background checks are cleared, we then arrange for you to be interviewed by an associate psychologist. Every Intended Parent must pass the psychological interview before we may begin matching them.

If for some reason there are difficulties with your background check or interview, we will notify you and work with you to see if we can overcome the difficulties, either with additional screening or study, or testing. If we determine that we are not able to  work with you, we’ll refund your full agency fee, less the fee for the Psychological interview and background checks.

Woman who had a baby using a surrogate claims her human rights have been breached because she has not been allowed to have maternity pay

• ‘I am just like any other parent of a newborn and my son and his needs are the same as any other baby’

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 08:19 EST, 23 September 2012 | UPDATED: 02:27 EST, 24 September 2012

Care: A mother is taking the Government to court to win the right to receive maternity pay. File picture

A woman is fighting for the right to get maternity pay despite having a baby using a surrogate mother.

She is taking Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, to the High Court claiming her human rights are being breached.

The woman, from Kent, says that even though she did not give birth to her son she is entitled to paid leave to look after and bond with him.

She told the Sunday Times: ‘Having my son via surrogacy does not change the fact that I want to and need to be there to care for him and bond with him in the early months of his life.

‘I am just like any other parent of a newborn and my son and his needs are the same as any other baby.’

The mother, to be named as RKA in court documents, says she ‘feels judged’ for her inability to have a child naturally.

Her case  is being brought at the same time as a legal challenge from Surrogacy UK which wants a judicial review of regulations barring maternity pay to mothers who use surrogates.

There are now about 140 surrogate births every year and the numbers are rising.

Currently, surrogates are paid a maternity allowance and given leave while in adoption cases, the birth and legal mothers are guaranteed pay up to 39 weeks and can take 52 weeks leave.

In the case of RKA , a medical problem meant she could not carry a baby, so the couple had IVF treatment and then embryos were implanted in a surrogate in September last year.

Her company reportedly said it was not legally required to give her paid leave or time off, when she asked about her benefits. They offered her 52 weeks unpaid leave.

Justice: The woman’s case will be held at the High Court

In May, she contacted her employers about coming back to work, but was made redundant two months later.

She missed out on payment protection because her unpaid leave did not count in the same way as maternity and adoption leave.

RKA’s lawyer Merry Varney told the Sunday Times: ‘We hope that through bringing these cases parents of children born via surrogacy can be considered equal to those fortunate to have a family through natural birth.’

The first step in the process of becoming a Simple Surrogacy Intended Parent is to schedule a consultation. We offer phone consultations at no charge, or in-office consultations for a $150 fee. If you have an in-office consultation and decide to enter our program we then waive the consultation fee when you pay the retainer fee.

During your consultation, we will discuss your particular case and what services you are seeking. Weather you will need a Surrogate and Egg Donor or just a Surrogate, if you have chosen a clinic or would like us to help you select one, if you want to be matched with a Surrogate in Texas or in another state, and any legal considerations that affect your situation. We’ll also explain the entire surrogacy process to you step by step and answer any questions you have about it. We can also answer your questions about the financial aspects of the Surrogacy journey, from when you will pay us, to how and when you pay the clinics, providers and Surrogate. We can also offer you a customized estimate of the journey’s cost depending on your situation.

After all of your questions are answered, we can explain the retainer agreements to you and make sure you understand what is required of you to enter our program. We can provide references for you to contact to verify our services as well. You should make sure you fully understand the retainers when they are presented to you, and we are happy to review them to ensure you understand.

Once you’ve decided, simply sign the retainers, pay the retainer fee, and we will welcome you into our program!

It is always wonderful to hear of a couple who has had a great surrogacy experience and has successfully welcomed their child into the world. Though we were not their Agency, we are very happy to congratulate Bill and Giuliana Rancic, who are now proud parents through Gestational Surrogacy. We hope their example will inspire others to not give up and to eventually welcome their dream baby through Surrogacy!

Bill and Giuliana Rancic Welcome Son Edward Duke

Jeff Kravitz /FilmMagic

He’s here!

Bill and Giuliana Rancic welcomed their first child, son Edward Duke Rancic, on Wednesday, Aug. 29 in Denver, the couple announced via Twitter Thursday morning.

“The ‘Duke’ has landed! Edward Duke Rancic was welcomed into the world last night at 7 lbs., 4 oz.,” the Apprentice winner writes. “G & I feel blessed beyond words…We did it!”

Born at 10:12 p.m. with the parents in the delivery room, the baby’s cord was cut by Bill and he was first held by Giuliana, the couple tell E! News.

After struggles with infertility, miscarriage and a breast cancer battle for E! news anchor and Fashion Police co-host Giuliana, 37, the couple announced that they were expecting a baby via gestational surrogate.

In June, the Rancics shared that they’d be welcoming a boy whom they planned to give a traditional name.

“Our journey has a happy ending,” Bill, 41, tells PEOPLE. “We didn’t give up, we didn’t quit and we’re going to have a good ending to this.”

– Sarah Michaud

We are proud to be among the participants at the Men Having babies seminar in new York on September 22nd. Please join us! We will have several breakout sessions where we can answer all of your questions about Surrogacy, costs and our program. Though this is focused on Gay Parents, everyone is welcome to come and learn about our unique and renowned approach to surrogacy!

Time for YOU to have a baby as well?

The eight annual NY Surrogacy Seminar and Expo by Men Having Babies is September 22, 2012!

This year’s day-long event is going to be the largest and most extensive program for prospective surrogacy parents ever… The independent nonprofit organization Men Having Babies is hosting an unprecedented number of clinics and agencies (16 so far, and counting) from all across the USA and beyond, alongside a number of supportive community organizations.  The program will include expert and personal stories panels, a surrogacy and gay parenting exhibit, a catered lunch, and 24 breakout sessions. The exhibit and breakout sessions will allow attendees to personally meet and hear from the various agencies and clinics, never before assembled under one roof.  The event will also mark the debut of the Gay Parenting Financial Assistance Fund, which will benefit from the event’s sponsorship proceeds.
While the event is organized by a gay parenting organization, non-gay prospective parents are also welcome and will no doubt highly benefit from it as well.
Admission is $10 (free for pre-registered out of town guests).

Register now: www.MenHavingBabies.org/ny

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/508288702518239/

Surrogacy 101: Choose your Agency

To begin the process of surrogacy, most people will start online. You’re here right now, aren’t you? There is a vast amount of information available to you online, from Agencies like ourselves, Surrogacy Gathering sites, blogs, articles, doctors and clinics, attorneys and consultants. You will be overwhelmed by the amount of information available at your fingertips, so be sure to choose wisely.

Once you have narrowed down the list of partners you want to decide between to reputable agencies or attorneys, then you should Google those agencies to see what everyone has said about them. You should contact them and speak with their references. Simple Surrogacy is proud to provide many happy Intended Parents as references who have gone through our program, and our word of mouth on the Internet is excellent.

Simple Surrogacy has been in business for over 10 years, and we’re a trusted and recommended source for information in the surrogacy process. We can be your guide through the maze of finding a great surrogate, making sure she is screened by a great clinic, psychologist and background checked, and most importantly, making sure that you like each other! We will help you to choose your clinic through our excellent connections in the Infertility world, we’ve worked with nearly every major clinic throughout the United States.

From there, we’ll help you negotiate the Surrogacy contract with industry expert attorneys and consultants, for the best possible agreement for you and your surrogate. We’ll then collect and manage your escrow fund in our bonded, insured escrow accounts, making sure that your money is handled as securely and carefully as we handle our own money. We also act as an intermediary between you and your Surrogate, insuring that she receives timely payments under her contract and that those payments are correctly paid.

As you can see, the importance of an excellent guide through your surrogacy is crucial. Once you have decided that Simple Surrogacy is your ideal partner, then you would continue in the process of consultation and retainers.

Simple Surrogacy is pleased to announce we are joining the Men Having Babies seminar in September in New York City. This is a great event where prospective Intended Parents can meet with Agencies, learn from guest speakers and ask questions about surrogacy agencies. We’re very excited to be a sponsor! learn more and register at the link below!

http://www.menhavingbabies.org/surrogacy-seminars/ny-2012/

This blog continues our series on Surrogacy information for Intended Parents, Surrogates and egg donors.

Surrogacy 101: Becoming an Intended Parent

The process of Surrogacy can be long and confusing, and who you choose to guide you through it is the most important decision that you will make. To become a Simple Surrogacy Intended parent, we require that you meet certain criteria. These include:

• • • Be Honest
    • No criminal history, able to pass a background check
    • Complete paperwork fully
    • Financially stable
    • Be respectful of Surrogate’s time and commitment
    • Between the ages of 21-60
    • Be in a stable living situation
    • Have the support of your spouse or partner (when applicable)
    • Not be on public assistance
    • Have read and understand the Surrogacy process
    • Be willing to undergo a Psychological Assessment

Simple Surrogacy does not discriminate against any person desiring to be a parent, regardless of gender, race, age, religious affiliation, fertility issue, marital status or sexual orientation.  We work with every Intended Parent who can meet the above criteria and has a genuine desire for a family. This series will explore the steps and journey to becoming an Intended Parent.

The article below is very interesting as it brings up a topic that not many of our Intended Parents consider when they begin their surrogacy journey. Hopefully, most businesses have realized by now that all types of families need maternity or paternity leave when a child comes into their lives, no matter how that child arrives! Many progressive companies now cover their family leave for surrogacy as the same coverage for adoptive parents, which is a huge leap forward.

Should parents who use a surrogate get paid leave?

A case currently receiving a lot of attention in England involves a mother and her supporters campaigning for the right to paid maternity leave, a universal right for mothers there.

She has been denied paid leave because she did not carry or deliver her twins. She used a surrogate.
(Bigstock)

Fertility law experts have said that under British law, only mothers who carry a baby or who adopt are entitled to leave benefits. The Daily Telegraph has been chronicling the story.

In the United States, the case hasn’t stirred much attention. Perhaps that’s because, as we all know and many of us bemoan, Americans are not guaranteed paid maternity leave. Still, it raises broader issues that do affect parents here.

I asked Marni Hotchkiss, the creator of Bridge to Baby, a Web forum devoted to helping parents and potential parents work through fertility issues, for her thoughts.

Hotchkiss, a Bethesda mother, is expecting a baby who is being carried by a surrogate. She started by describing how much discretion U.S. employers have with parental leave.

“Although the Family Medical Leave Act provides that covered employers must give an eligible parent up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave to care for a newborn, there is no law requiring that an employer provide paid leave. So it is up to each individual employer to decide whether or not to provide paid parental leave benefits.

“This begs the question . . . Should an employer be allowed to decide who gets paid leave based on who gave physical birth to the baby? It’s hard to believe that mothers who have their own biological children via gestational carrier don’t have the same maternity leave rights as all other mothers.”

Hotchkiss explained that she gave birth to her son, now 4, and is expecting her second child via a gestational carrier in about four months.

“The only difference I foresee in the two scenarios is the recovery from the birth itself. I’m happy to say I won’t be spending quality time on a sitz bath or pumping breast milk, although I would have given anything to experience both again if it meant I could carry this child on my own.

“Yes, there is some medical recovery involved in giving birth but not enough, in my opinion, to warrant someone in my shoes not getting paid maternity leave while someone who gives birth does.”

She went on to emphasize that the mother’s recovery isn’t so much the issue as the needs of a newborn.

“The common fact is that all newborn babies, either born the old-fashioned way or via a borrowed uterus, need constant, round-the-clock care to survive. It’s about caring for the newborn that is most important. That care comes with the round-the-clock feedings, doctor visits, bonding and diaper changes. Did I mention diaper changes? And that comes with sleep deprivation for the parent . . . whether or not they have given birth.

“At the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter if you are a man, woman, have given birth, used a surrogate to have a child or adopt. All parents taking care of newborns should be treated the same and have equal parental leave rights.”

What do you think? Should surrogacy be treated by laws or employers any differently than pregnancy or adoption?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-parenting/post/should-parents-who-use-a-surrogate-get-paid-leave/2012/04/25/gIQAyJJHhT_blog.html#pagebreak