There are plenty of wonderful ways to start your family. If you’re a same-sex couple or if you’re struggling with infertility, two options that you’ll want to consider are surrogacy and adoption. Each process has its own advantages and disadvantages, but both are equally life-changing and rewarding courses of action towards parenthood. Read on to find out which option is right for your family.
The Legal Process
Both procedures require you to hire a lawyer to help guide you through the complex legal process involved. It’s necessary to work with a trustworthy and competent family solicitor in London to get the most favourable results. Adoption cases can be complicated when you’re adopted abroad or registering a foreign adoption.
Legal adoption procedures happen after the baby is born, when the biological parents have to consent to the adoption and the adoptive parents must be granted custody by the court. Surrogacy cases include a legal contract that outlines both the surrogate and the parent’s roles and responsibilities to the child.
Genetics
The main advantage of surrogacy is the likelihood that one or both parents may be biologically related to their child. The parents’ eggs and/or sperm are transferred to the surrogate’s uterus to create the embryo. This biological relationship makes surrogacy an ideal option for you if your family is intent on having a genetic connection to your child. Being biologically related to your child can also simplify the legal process for you and will give you more control during the pregnancy term. On the contrary, you will not have a genetic relationship with your baby if you choose to adopt a child. But you’ll be able to help a birth mother with an unplanned pregnancy who perhaps cannot properly care for her child.
Costs
Both methods have several expenses you’ll need to cover. These include legal fees, medical costs, and agency fees. Surrogacy also involves additional expenses such as surrogate compensation as well as fertility treatments. This makes it a more costly option compared to adoption.
The Screening Process
Another big difference between the two options lies in the matching process. When it comes to adoption, the birth mother reviews several families’ profiles and chooses which family will adopt her baby. The surrogacy screening process is relatively more personal and mutual. Your agent will get to know both you and the surrogate through an extensive screening process that involves home visits, psychological evaluations, background checks, and medical evaluations. It’s your agent who will select potential matches for you. The process moves forward when both you and the surrogate express a mutual interest in working with each other.
Involvement
Adoption doesn’t allow you much control over the process and you might not be involved during most of the pregnancy. On the other hand, when it comes to surrogacy, you have a number of legal responsibilities to the baby and the surrogate which are outlined in a legal contract. Your surrogate also has a responsibility to you to keep herself and the baby healthy during the period of her pregnancy.
There are plenty of factors to consider when deciding whether to go with surrogacy or adoption. At the end of the day, it all depends on your needs and preferences.