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Focus on single dads opting for fatherhood through surrogacy

On Behalf of | Sep 4, 2013 | Child Custody

Trey Powell, a resident of Seattle, says that he engaged in a lot of self-reflection and internally asked himself lots of questions before he began his walk down the path of becoming a single father through surrogacy.

“I had to be sure it was the right thing to do,” he says.

Now, as he rejoices in his twin infant daughters, he is certain he made the right choice.

Single dads opting to become parents through surrogacy is not exactly a surging fad, but it is a cautiously growing movement and industry that is progressively seeing more inquiries and follow through from males. That is especially true for men who want to have biological ties with their children yet don’t have a mate at hand to help make that happen.

And, of course, commercial surrogacy — that is, for-profit surrogacy in which a contract is executed and money provided for an egg donor and the services of a surrogate mother impregnated with an embryo — can raise lots of legal and, for some people, moral questions.

One of those can revolve around child custody in the event something happens to a dad that prevents him from being a parent.

Powell thought of that, asking himself, “If something happens to me, who’s going to take care of my daughters?”

Aside from that and other family law issues is the central question of whether commercial surrogacy is even deemed legal for a would-be dad.

In some countries, it is not. And in the United States, laws vary across state lines. Some states bar it, with others — like Florida — permitting it with some restrictions. In Florida, for example, a surrogacy agreement can only be executed by a married couple.

Any person or couple contemplating a surrogacy arrangement would obviously be well advised to speak with a family law attorney who is either experienced in the area or can readily find answers to relevant questions.

Source: The Journal Times, “Via surrogacy, some men opt to become single dads,” Sept. 1, 2013

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