There are many paths to forming your family. Tennessee Baby Law can walk that path with you. If you need a service not listed here, please let us know. We’ll help you find the route that works for you.
Gestational Surrogacy
Gestational surrogacy is a process in which one woman carries and gives birth to a baby formed through the union of an egg and sperm in a medical lab and the transfer of the resulting embryo to the gestational surrogate’s uterus. The gestational carrier is not the genetic mother of the baby she carries as she does not provide the egg from which the baby was conceived. The egg is either provided by the woman who will be the mother of the baby or an egg donor.Gestational surrogacy differs from traditional surrogacy as in traditional surrogacy the ‘surrogate’ has artificial insemination and becomes pregnant with a child to whom she is the genetic mother.
Traditional surrogacy poses many potential problems and is usually only undertaken for financial reasons. In vitro fertilization (whether with an intended mother’s own eggs or the eggs of a donor) is, indeed, expensive and often people consider traditional surrogacy as an option to avoid those expenses. Because of the problems which can arise from traditional surrogacy and the dynamics that families formed by traditional surrogacy face, we only rarely accept cases of traditional surrogacy. There are so many routes to parenthood using gestational surrogacy that, today, traditional surrogacy seems unnecessary.
Egg Donation
An egg donor is a woman who agrees to provide her eggs to another individual or to a couple so that they can have a baby. The egg donor takes medication for about a month, after which the eggs are retrieved in a medical procedure. After the retrieval, the recipient of her donation has complete control over the eggs and the donor has no control. The terms of the agreement between the donor and the recipient(s) are negotiated and set forth in a written agreement before the donor begins medications. Preparation of this agreement is a service we offer in this law practice.!
Egg donation between individuals is not as frequent today as it once was. In the past, this was the only option due to the limits of medical science. The eggs from an individual woman had to be fertilized immediately with the sperm of the intended father. The embryos could be frozen but the eggs could not be. Science has progressed, and now we have egg banks just like we have had sperm banks for years.!
We work with families who are using egg banks as well as individual donations. We can help families make the right choice for their families.
Embryo Donation
When parents use IVF to add to their family, they often fertilize more eggs than they need for that new member of the family. The resulting embryos can be maintained in cryo-preservation for a great length of time. Some families decide to donate their frozen embryos when they decide that their family is complete. By sharing these embryos with another family, they share their joy in parenthood and they fulfill their sense that the additional embryos should have a chance at life.
There are many options for embryo donation, with scenarios ranging from completely anonymous to completely open. There are agencies which facilitate embryo donation for a fee, resources which help people arrange independent donations, as well as medical practices specifically focused on embryo donation.
If you are seeking embryo donation to form your family or if you are considering donating the remaining embryos after your family is complete, Tennessee Baby Law can help.
Family Diversity
We are thoroughly devoted to the diversity of families. As such, we work with individuals who are seeking parenthood, gay and lesbian couples, as well as married couples. We foster relationships with other attorneys, agencies, and care providers who are also devoted to diversity. If you have questions or concerns about our commitment to diversity in family building, please get in touch with our firm. We look forward to exploring the possibilities for you and your new family.
Sperm Donation
Sperm donors have been providing the gift of life to couples as well as individuals for quite some times. We have a significant history from which we can understand their gift and its implications. As science has progressed, however, there are new implications to sperm donation. We now need to consider sperm donors interests in the cryopreserved embryos formed with their sperm, as well as their frozen sperm. We need to consider the future relationships of the sperm donors with the children who may be born to recipients of embryos which were donated to other couples well after the original sperm donation.
Our involvement with colleagues across the globe gives us the opportunity to help clients think through the implications of sperm donation for themselves, their children, and their donors.