Category: Surrogacy Law

Does A Sperm Donor Equal a Dad?

Does-A-Sperm-Donor-Equal-a-DadAn emerging issue in reproductive law in Florida and throughout the United States is managing the parental rights of sperm donors.

Many sperm donors are no longer anonymous and this triggers the potential for parental rights if the sperm donor, or the mother, wants such rights to exist.

There are approximately 30,000 births every year from donated sperm. The vast majority of sperm donors remain anonymous, but there is a small number of donors who are not anonymous.

And the number of prospective parents are choosing a non-anonymous path. This could partly be due to changing social perceptions about sperm donation and concerns about the health of unknown and anonymous sperm donors. read more

What Has Fueled the Huge Growth in Surrogacy In the Past Decade?

The number of babies that have been born from surrogacy has grown dramatically over the past decade. The number of gestational surrogacies has grown from about 700 in 2004 to over 1,400 in 2010. Notably, Florida, due to its relatively welcoming stance on surrogacy, has seen a particularly large increase in surrogacies.

Fueled by the Internet

Surrogacy Laws in FloridaThe popularity and accessibility of surrogacy has been partially fueled by the internet. Hundreds of surrogacy agency websites, blogs, and chat rooms have provided prospective parents (often called intended parents) a huge amount of information about surrogacy. read more

The Basics : Understanding Surrogacy Law In Florida

Understanding Surrogacy Law In FloridaSurrogacy is a terribly complex section of reproductive law. Across the fifty states laws can vary dramatically.

Florida’s surrogacy law is more restrictive than some states, such as California, but less restrictive than others such as Washington, D.C.

Surrogacy comes in two forms. Most surrogacies come as gestational surrogacy in which the pregnancy is created through in vitro fertilization where the egg from outside the body is fertilized and then implanted in the surrogate’s uterus.

Alternatively, the “traditional “type of surrogacy involves fertilizing an egg within the surrogate with the father’s sperm. This traditional type has fallen out of favor and now makes up only five percent of all surrogacies. read more