From the series, Our Guide to Surrogacy in the U.S.
Surrogacy in the US is definitely the most expensive place to go through the process and I am regularly asked why chose it instead of doing it in a “cheaper” jurisdiction. We had the choice of going to multiple countries namely the US, Thailand, the Ukraine, Georgia and India. India is now not an option for same-sex couples (as the law is changing), but why the US?
In all honesty the answer is very simple – we felt that the tried and tested legal framework in the US would offer us and our children the best protection. The US is a country where surrogacy has been going for years and as such it is an “understood” concept.
We wanted our family to be created in a country where we would be recognised as the parents of the children immediately and have all of the associated rights.
In the UK surrogacy contracts are unenforceable and the surrogate mother has rights for the first 6 weeks of the child’s life. We felt that Eastern Europe and Thailand were not advanced enough for us to gain the level of comfort we wanted and that left the US.
Richard and his partner Steven undertook surrogacy in the United States and learned everything about the process during the process. Since the twins were born, Richard has become an advocate helping prospective parents (both gay and straight) learn more about surrogacy in general but predominantly about doing it in the US. In doing so Richard aims to help parents make informed decisions from the outset which should hopefully save them not only a lot of hassle but also a lot of money.
Richard has always had a fascination with biology and on the back of his experiences and his advocacy work he now also helps US fertility clinics in the UK reach out to prospective parents.
Richard's basic step-by-step guide featured in the We are Family Magazine Winter 2013 edition. Richard is also actively involved within the UK gay dads community in organisations such as GaySurrogacyUK and Families Thru Surrogacy.
Biography and photo courtesy of Richard Westoby and www.guidetosurrogacy.com
Follow Richard on Twitter @RW1602
Buy, "Our Journey: One Couple's Guide to U.S. Surrogacy" available now!
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