Surrogacy in Virginia: Options for Intended Parents in the Old Dominion State
Surrogacy in Virginia is accessible to heterosexual couples, same-sex couples, and unmarried individuals under Virginia’s Assisted Conception statute (Va. Code Ann. § 20-156 et. seq.). According to the Code, forming surrogacy arrangements is a legal process, and it recognizes the child born to a surrogate as a member of the intended parents’ family
Surrogacy law in Virginia allows two types of surrogacy journey:
- gestational carrier pre-birth agreements
- traditional (genetic) surrogacy
Many intended parents find gestational carrier agreements burdensome and expensive due to the fact that obtaining parental rights over the baby must be court-approved. In the state of Virginia, the gestational carrier is acknowledged as the mother of the child. To be named Parents on the birth certificate, intended parents need to undergo an administrative birth certificate amendment procedure. It is a time-consuming process that requires extra expenses.
For that reason, many aspiring parents seek solutions abroad. In such European countries as Georgia and Ukraine, the exit process is much easier, and prices for surrogacy are far more affordable. Regarding commissioning couples of the LGBT community, they find their way to parenthood in Mexico and Colombia. The World Center of Baby supports the willingness of heterosexual and gay couples to expand their family through surrogacy agreements by providing its services in those countries.