Surrogacy-Why Parents Do It
When intended parents approach a potential individual to become the mother and give birth to their future child, this practice is called surrogacy.
It is a growing trend in the state of NSW and overseas.
The common source of surrogate individuals are mostly in developing countries but many prospective parents also visit Western countries such as the US and Canada.
Surrogacy is also a growing industry but paying a prospective mother to enter into this arrangement is considered an illegal practice in NSW and other states. Only the Northern Territory continues to have no laws on surrogacy.
Altruistic or non-commercial surrogacy is when the surrogate mother volunteers to provide the service. And this may be allowed.
No financial exchange of any form takes place in this arrangement. However this practice presents real complications as overseas arrangements may not satisfy Australian state and territory laws for the transfer of legal parentage.
Reporter/Producer: Ele Godley. Interviewee: Sam Everingham, Global Director and Educator for the Charity, Growing Families.
