When most people have a child, they celebrate milestones like a Baby Shower, and later the birth, and then Birthdays, and Mother's and Father's Days, without having to consult or think about anyone outside their own household or immediate family. [...]
The number one question that every surrogate is asked is "how much do you get paid?" And whilst we expect the question, and can even understand why someone may ask, the question itself can hurt, and undermine the altruism of [...]
People entering into commercial surrogacy overseas are often anxious to know about returning home to Australia with their baby, any consequences, and whether they need to get court orders when they return to Australia. Parentage Orders are made to transfer [...]
Milk and Feeding of Surrogacy Baby Most new parents have to grapple with learning how to feed their newborn and making the right decisions for the family. When you add in surrogacy, it can take on a whole other level [...]
Do I qualify for surrogacy in Australia? The first step when determining whether, as an intended parent, you qualify for surrogacy in Australia, is to work out which laws apply to you. The laws of the State where the intended [...]
Surrogacy in the Australian Capital Territory is regulated by the Parentage Act 2004. If you are an intended parent living in the ACT, then the surrogacy laws that apply to you are those of the Australian Capital Territory. This is [...]
Donor Agreements involve an agreement between a donor and recipient parent/s that clarifies the relationships and expectations between the parties. They are often used between sperm donors and their donor recipients, and not so often with egg donors. The reasons [...]
Surrogacy in South Australia. If you are an intended parent living in South Australia or a surrogate carrying for South Australian intended parents, the Family Relationships Act 1975 applies to you. The criteria for surrogacy in SA includes: That the [...]
Surrogacy in the Northern Territory is neither legal or illegal. This is because there are no surrogacy laws in the Northern Territory at all. All the States and the ACT have their own surrogacy laws, but the NT has none. [...]
Gestational surrogacy, in which the surrogate is not the genetic mother of the baby she is carrying, is the most common form of surrogacy both in Australia and overseas. Gestational surrogacy is different from Traditional Surrogacy, where the surrogate conceives [...]
Surrogacy in Western Australia If you are an intended parent living in Western Australia or a surrogate carrying for Western Australia intended parents, the Surrogacy Act 2008 applies to you. The criteria for surrogacy in WA includes: That the intended [...]
If you are an intended parent living in Queensland or a surrogate carrying for Queensland intended parents, the Surrogacy Act 2010 applies to you. The criteria for surrogacy in QLD includes: That the intended parents have a social or medical [...]
When planning a surrogacy, the team should think of the birth and how they will navigate the hospital system to support their surrogacy birth. Surrogates will have their own experiences of birth and have ideas of how they envision the [...]
If you are an intended parent living in Tasmania or a surrogate carrying for Tasmanian intended parents, the Surrogacy Act 2012 applies to you. The criteria for surrogacy in Tasmania includes: That the intended parents have a social or medical [...]
Kids and surrogacy - complex problem or privileged experience? I'm often asked about my children's responses to me being a surrogate, and for advice about preparing children for surrogacy. My kids were taught fairly early that sperm+egg+uterus=baby. They're still learning [...]
Surrogacy in New South Wales is regulated by the Surrogacy Act 2010. If you are an intended parent living in NSW, then the surrogacy laws that apply to you are those of New South Wales. This is the case, even [...]
Surrogacy is legal in Victoria, and every State in Australia. Victorian surrogacy arrangements are regulated by the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008. The law is currently being reviewed, and expected to be reformed in the coming year. The criteria for [...]
Wondering if surrogacy is legal in Australia? Thinking about pursuing surrogacy to grow your family? Thinking about being a surrogate to help someone grow theirs? Here's some answers to questions you might have. Don't forget to download your free copy [...]
Do you want to do your Parentage Order yourself? By the time you have your baby in your arms, you’ve spent considerable money on IVF, legal expenses, counselling and pregnancy and birth expenses for your surrogate…not to mention decorating the [...]
Do you want to be a surrogate? I remember when I first considered becoming a surrogate - searching everywhere for information and ending up down many an internet rabbit hole. I was excited and nervous; my husband was skeptical. How [...]
It is a fact universally known, that altruistic surrogates don't like to talk about money. We don't like asking for money, and we'd rather spend our own money than burden our intended parents. We feel that any talk about money [...]
A core belief of any feminist, is that a woman has the right to full bodily autonomy. That includes reproductive autonomy; the right to determine if and when she has children, how many, and the right to make decisions about [...]
Egg donation is one of those topics that garners interest on social media occasionally, and warrants a warm fuzzy headline now and again, but good quality information and resources are lacking. There are restrictions on advertising for an egg donor, [...]
There's a few heroes in the story of surrogacy - but none more unassuming than the surrogate's partner. Our partners don't ask to go down this path, and the rewards for them are few and far between. But their support [...]
The Fourth Trimester Many people haven’t heard of the ‘fourth trimester,’ let alone when it applies in a surrogacy arrangement. The fourth trimester refers to the first three months after a baby is born when baby is going through a [...]
One of the first questions asked by intended parents considering surrogacy in Australia is "What if she wants to keep the baby?" And one of the first questions asked by a surrogate and her partner is "What if they don't [...]
Sperm donation options in Australia vary from friends and family, to online connections or clinic-recruited donors. If you watched 60 Minutes recently you'd know all about Joe Donor - the American man who claims to have donated sperm to over 800 [...]
Birth photography is an art form. You only need to search #birthphoto on Instagram and find out how popular, and amazing it can be. I would have liked to have a birth photographer for my first two births, but we [...]
Intended Parents may be forgiven for thinking that everyone they talk to about surrogacy has their best interests at heart. If someone seems kind, knowledgeable and generous, surely they're only wanting to help you have a baby, right? But, surrogacy [...]
Gay dads are growing in numbers around Australia as they pursue surrogacy to grow their families. The media is buzzing with news that Ian Thorpe and his partner Ryan Channing, are planning to have a baby via surrogacy. Channing was [...]
Surro-baby, Darcey, turned one last weekend. Her dads threw her a party, of course, and like all first birthdays, it was more of an anniversary for the parents than it was a party for the baby. An anniversary of survival, [...]
How do I find a surrogate in Australia? So you've decided to explore surrogacy as an option to grow your family. You've done some google searches and are finding the information-overload a bit overwhelming. Rest assured, you're not alone and [...]
Altruistic surrogacy is one of the most complex and amazing journeys you'll ever take, regardless of whether you're the surrogate team or the intended parent team. Even when things go right, they can still be difficult, and every team faces [...]
A surrogacy agreement is not the same as a commercial contract. The elements of a basic contract include (1) an offer, (2) acceptance, (3) consideration (usually money) and (4) an intention to create a legal relationship. For example, you offer to buy [...]
Surrogates are like sisters. Surrogacy is a unique and special journey, not just for the intended parents, but for the women privileged enough to carry a baby for someone else. It's an unusual thing to do, and most people don't [...]
My partner and I are parents-through-IVF; survivors of infertility who inevitably became overbearing parents to our precious offspring. Archie was born after 7 embryo transfers, and he was our lucky last. Shortly after Archie’s second birthday, we conceived his brother, [...]
Do you need a surrogacy broker or consultant? Surrogacy is bit like Project Management. In fact, by the time you’re home with your baby, you’ll feel like you deserve a PhD in international relations and event management. You did all that [...]
One of the first questions asked by surrogates and intended parents, is whether the intended parents can give gifts to their surrogate, or her family members, without compromising the surrogacy agreement or the Parentage Order application. And what sort of [...]
Do you need an Australian lawyer to assist you with your overseas surrogacy journey? The short answer is, mostly not. You can engage a lawyer in your destination country, who will guide you through the Surrogacy and Donor Agreements. You [...]
After a baby is born through an Australian surrogacy arrangement, a Parentage Order is required to transfer parentage from the surrogate and her partner to the intended parents. When the baby is born, the surrogate and her partner register the [...]
Parentage Orders are made to transfer parentage from a surrogate and her partner, to the intended parents. These are made in State Courts. These Orders provide for the Birth Certificate to be changed, removing the surrogate and her partner, and [...]
Traditional surrogacy is where a surrogate uses her own eggs to conceive, with sperm from an Intended Father or from a donor. It is different from gestational surrogacy, where the surrogate becomes pregnant with an embryo created with an egg [...]
Surrogacy Laws Australia Are you exploring your options for growing your family through surrogacy? Below is an overview of Australian surrogacy laws as they stand today. Surrogacy in Australia is regulated in each State, which means there is no uniform [...]
Intended parents are always keen to know how much surrogacy will cost them. There are so many variables depending on individual circumstances, so it can be hard to give an exact answer to that question. Intended Parents should expect to [...]
Surrogacy arrangements can be written into formal Agreements between the surrogate and her partner, and the intended parents. Some states require surrogacy arrangements to have a written agreement, whilst other States do not require it but the parties might be [...]
Surrogacy within Australia is regulated in each State, which means there are no uniform laws that cover surrogacy across the country. Surrogacy laws in all States follow the same basic principles: The Intended Parents must not be able to either [...]
