Surrogacy is an option for people that for whatever reason cannot carry a baby to term on their own. There is a long history of surrogacy throughout time. It was a very common practice in ancient Rome and Greece to have a woman carry a child for another of course things were done a bit differently then but the idea was still the same.
Today surrogacy can be done to carry another couple’s child to term. There are different ways to achieve the goal of the child being genetically related to its parents and not to the surrogate. Typically the egg or the sperm or both will come from the parents to be.
In the case of gay couple parents surrogacy is an ideal option. It can help parents that are worthy and that should have children have a child that they are genetically linked to.
The Options
Gay couples are not left with a lot of options to have children. They can adopt. They can if they are a female couple use a sperm donor and carry their own child but men are left with the least choices. Surrogacy is the ONLY option for a male gay couple to have a genetically related child.
It is important to a lot of couples to have children that are genetically linked to themselves. A lot of people feel that the bond is stronger between them and their child if they are genetically connected. It can be very important to some people that their child is “theirs.”
Using a Surrogate
There are agencies that specialize in connecting gay couples with surrogates. These agencies can help you find people that have had background checks done and a bevy of other testing done. The advantage of using an agency is that the surrogates are medically tested and go through a battery of psychological tests. There is no federal law about surrogacy in the U.S. Surrogacy laws differ per state and consulting a surrogacy agency in your state is preferable.
A lot of couples use someone that they know to carry their child but this can be a problem sometimes, the relationship is close and there are a lot of feelings back and forth and unfortunately sometimes things go rather sour.
It is of course a very emotional time for everyone involved so if you can keep it a least a bit impersonal and strictly business. An agency can help you as a go between.
Gay couples should be afforded the opportunity to become parents until science catches up!