Surrogate & Egg Donor Representation

What if I am a Surrogate mother or Egg Donor, do I need an attorney to represent me?

We have represented hundreds of surrogate mothers and egg donors in either independent or agency arrangements throughout the years.  It is highly imperative that you receive your own legal counsel. The purpose of independent counsel is to review the legal agreement or the judgment of parentage documents (in a surrogacy arrangement) with you.  The purpose of representation is to not only provide you with sound legal guidance, advise you of  your rights and obligations pertaining to the legal agreement but an experienced family formation lawyer will be well informed of any changes to the legislature is it pertains to surrogacy and egg donor arrangements.

What if the recipient couple/parent is my friend or family member do I still need an agreement or legal representation?

Making a choice to become a surrogate or egg donor for a friend or family member is a truly tremendous act of love and selflessness.   You are to be commended for such an amazing gift.  Even with this special partnership into parenthood we recommend never forgoing a solid legal agreement or independent counsel to review the legal aspects of everything involved, even if there is no monetary contribution.  Aside from the huge legal issue regarding intent at the time the child is created, let’s say you become pregnant only to discover you are experiencing complications and must be put on bed rest, who will take care of your children, who will pay your bills, what about your lost wages?   You find yourself in the position of “what do I do now”? The agreement should already speak to what you decided to do before you got to this point.   It is issues like this as well as any other potential issues that must be addressed in the agreement prior to proceeding with any medical procedure.  This is peace of mind for you and hopefully for the intended parents.

Ok, so now you are saying but “I’m the Egg Donor so what does all of this have to do with me?”  Again aside from the legal issues regarding the intent of the parties involved, “who intended to create this child”, the legal agreement speaks to the issue of legal parentage and who has legal rights of this child, a legal agreement can also cover a multitude of scenarios from parental rights, child support but also potential medical risks or complications and putting a plan of action in place to address all of this should it become necessary.

Can I use one I found on the internet or create my own?

We do not recommend this.  A Surrogacy or Egg Donor Agreement is more complicated than one may think.  The costs you anticipate saving by preparing the agreement yourself do not out weigh the risks or legal consequences for a poorly drafted agreement.  From our experience the agreements found on the internet are too general in nature. Not only does it lack case law as it pertains to California but most importantly it can not provide enough protection for all involved or detail the specifics of your arrangement.

Interested in becoming a Surrogate Mother or Egg Donor?

A Center for Coastal Conceptions
Surrogacy and Egg Donor Agency
1107 West Chapman Ave., Suite A
Orange, CA 92868
Phone (714) 288-0440 (800) 310-8856
Fax (714) 288-2891 Email info@centerforcoastalconceptions.com
www.centerforcoastalconceptions.com