People like you can help hopeful parents build or extend their family. You can do this by becoming a surrogate mother or facilitating a child’s adoption. There are many reasons why some people needed to opt for surrogacy or adoption. Both processes require a monetary agreement which is why any parent wanting to choose either of the two options must be financially stable.
Parents have several options to add members to their family. The top two main options are surrogacy and adoption. Parents who have difficulty bearing a child or wanting to expand their family can opt for either choice. In surrogacy, there are various procedures involved such as how women become a surrogate and the screenings involved. The adoption process also has its own procedures that a facilitator will have to go through. Both choices have their own advantages and disadvantages that hopeful parents can consider.
Both the surrogacy and adoption procedures are rewarding in their own merits. These two choices give hope to prospective parents to complete their families. They may share similarities but both procedures are unique in their own ways. Each has its own benefits, requirements, and challenges. The decision would depend on the prospective parents to consider all the factors involved. If you are interested to aid parents in building families you can have the option of facilitating the adoption procedure or becoming a surrogate mother.
Becoming A Surrogate Mother
When you choose to become a surrogate mother, you are making a huge decision that can affect your life and another family’s life. The process can last up to one year for you but for the intended family, the effect of your decision will last for many generations. It is due to the fact that you are offering the gift of life. It might be a noble deed but there are things that you must consider when going into this path.
Women who are interested in becoming surrogates must understand the initial requirements needed for surrogate mothers. The first step into becoming a surrogate is to meet the surrogate agency’s qualifications and requirements. The screening procedure is a way to protect the safety of both the surrogate and the child. It is important that the surrogate must be psychologically and physically ready for the process.
One of the major requirements for surrogates is to have a previous pregnancy. It is not just a simple pregnancy but you must have a full-term pregnancy and successful delivery. You must be raising a child in your home. This requirement is implemented by all surrogacy agencies. The reason for this qualification is because a woman with a successful pregnancy in the past would lessen the risk of any complications during the gestational pregnancy.
Facilitating A Child’s Adoption
Perhaps you do not fancy getting pregnant or do not have a previous pregnancy experience, you can still help families by facilitating a child’s adoption. Just like the surrogacy process, adoption has its own agencies too. An adoption agency is viewed as the intermediary between the adoptive parents and the child. Adoption agencies are the ones who facilitate the adoption process.
You can apply to work in an adoption agency to help facilitate a child’s adoption. Doing it without an agency could lead you to serious trouble as you might be suspected of child trafficking. Stay on the safe side and work with an adoption agency if you are interested.
Intended Parents vs. Adoptive Parents
In surrogacy, the clients who are paying for the procedure are called the intended parents. In adoption, the people who will adopt the child are called adoptive parents.
The most common and widely accepted form of surrogacy is called gestational surrogacy. The surrogate mother will only have to carry the child through the in vitro fertilization. She will be injected by the embryo formed from the egg and sperm of the intended parents. If the intended parents cannot produce either of the two, an egg or sperm donation will be used. In this case, the child is genetically related to the surrogate parents and has no biological relations to the surrogate.
In adoption, the adoptive parents are not biological parents. The definition of adoptive parents is basically people who provide a permanent home and provide the needs of a child through a legal process. Despite having no biological relations, what’s important is the love given to the child and taking him or her as part of the family.
If you plan on becoming a surrogate mother or facilitating a child’s adoption, it is important that you do it legally. Work with the right agencies in their respective fields and ensure that you are not working for a bogus company. Both procedures are noble in their own way without discrediting the other.