Answering your questions about establishing parentage with surrogacy
Establishing parentage with surrogacy is an important part of the process. Hopeful parents must take certain legal actions to officially establish themselves as the legal parents of a baby born via surrogacy. Our Las Vegas surrogacy experts are here to explain how you and your partner can protect your parental rights.
The process of establishing parentage with surrogacy
The Uniform Parentage Act states that a woman who gives birth to a baby is the biological and legal mother of the child. When it comes to surrogacy, a court needs to acknowledge the hopeful parents as the true legal parents. However, the process of establishing parentage with surrogacy varies from state to state.
- In some states, a surrogate and her spouse must sign documents that state they are not the legal parents of the baby and they relinquish any rights to the child. An attorney must submit these documents with other supporting paperwork to prove parentage.
- In states like Nevada, hopeful parents can file a pre-birth order. This document proves parentage to the court before the baby is born. This allows the hopeful parents to be listed on the birth certificate and take the baby home from the hospital at discharge.
- Hopeful parents may have to complete an adoption to establish legal custody. When neither parent is biologically related to the baby, they may need to file for adoption. If one parent is unrelated, they may need to file for stepparent adoption.
Our Las Vegas surrogacy experts are proud to be in Nevada, one of the most surrogacy-friendly states in the country. This makes establishing parentage with surrogacy much easier, regardless of a hopeful parent’s marital status or sexual orientation.
Providing peace of mind for hopeful parents
When hopeful parents complete the process legally and correctly, the surrogate has no parental rights to the baby she carries. Working with an experienced attorney to create a surrogacy agreement and file all the necessary legal paperwork to establish parentage can ease the minds of everyone involved in the process.
If you have any questions about establishing parentage with surrogacy, our Las Vegas surrogacy experts can help. Contact us to schedule an appointment and learn more about growing your family using surrogacy.