Surrogacy in the United States is soaring of late. In 2004, there were 738 babies born via surrogacy in the country. In 2015, that number jumped to a whopping 2,807. The majority of the increase is attributed to the advent of gay marriage. Some women who serve as surrogates are paid up to $30,000 to carry the baby that is created via the egg and sperm of others.
One of the biggest concerns of those who have a baby via surrogacy is the fact that parental rights might not be transferred to them even if they signed a contract with the woman serving as surrogate. Some states do not allow surrogacy, while others do not have laws outlining parental rights in this situation. Surrogacy can cost upwards of $100,000 when you add in legal fees, fees to doctors and more. In some cases, the new parents don’t wind up with the child after spending this money.
Nebraska is one state in the country that bans commercial surrogacy. This means that women who live in the state cannot legally act as surrogates for people wishing to have babies. People who live in Nebraska who want to use surrogacy as a method of becoming a parent will need to seek someone outside of the state to do so.
Those opposed to surrogacy claim that women and babies are being seen as commodities. One critic want as far as to say the following:
“Women will be exploited by wealthy people. We see all kinds of Hollywood stars contracting with surrogates, but we don’t see any Hollywood stars serving as surrogates for their nannies and maids.”
For the most part, surrogacy companies like to work with women who are financially stable and not those who are having a baby in an effort to make money.
Parental rights are a hot topic across the country these days and Nebraska is no different. An experienced parental rights attorney in Omaha can answer all of your questions and examine your situation to determine the next steps.
Source: HuffPost, “As Surrogacy Surges, New Parents Seek Legal Protections,” June 29, 2017