Don’t forget to think about LGBTQ fertility legal considerations when starting or growing your family
The team at our Southern California fertility center knows there’s a lot to think about when pursuing LGBTQ family building. In addition to the fertility testing, fertility treatments and third party options, you also need to think about LGBTQ fertility legal considerations.
When patients are relying on treatments like egg donation and gestational surrogacy, we recommend partnering with an attorney who has experience in reproductive rights law. However, we know that having a quick overview of the considerations can be helpful when you’re first getting started. That’s why we have created this guide for our LGBTQ patients.
LGBTQ family building can be complex
Our LGBTQ fertility patients will need to rely on donor eggs or sperm, and sometimes gestational surrogacy. Our Southern California fertility center provides the following fertility treatments.
- IUI or IVF with donor sperm is a great family-building option for lesbian couples.
- Reciprocal IVF allows both female partners to play a role in the process.
- IVF with donor eggs and gestational surrogacy can help gay men become fathers.
Because third party options play a big role in this type of family building, LGBTQ fertility legal considerations come into play.
Exploring some common LGBTQ fertility legal considerations
The laws that govern LGBT family building can be complex, and they vary from state to state as well as from country to country. As a result, it’s worthwhile to partner with an attorney who understands this area of the law. Such a legal professional can help you navigate the following LGBTQ fertility legal considerations.
- Arrangements with donors and gestational surrogates.
- Compensation agreements with donors and gestational surrogates.
- Your relationship status and being named as your child’s legal parent.
- Steps to protect your parental rights when you aren’t biologically related to your child.
- Getting citizenship for your child if you and your partner live in another country.
Clearly, there’s a lot to consider, but partnering with experts can make the process much easier. You can rely on our Southern California fertility center to guide you through the medical side of LGBTQ family building. We can also recommend attorneys to help with the legal considerations. Contact us if you’d like to learn more or schedule an appointment.
