Sometimes, intended parents in North Carolina come to us, wondering how to be a single dad with a surrogate or a single mom with a surrogate. They ask: Is single-parent surrogacy in North Carolina a possibility?

The answer is yes, without question. Just like any couple of intended parents who are pursuing surrogacy, you always have the right to pursue a single-parent surrogacy and achieve all of your parenthood dreams. At the Parker Herring Law Group PLLC, we are happy to help single intended parents reach their surrogacy goals by ensuring all necessary legal steps are taken care of. We work with singles in adoptions as well as in surrogacy.

In many ways, your surrogacy journey as a single male or female will be very similar to the surrogacy journey taken by couples. However, there are a few differences in the practical and legal processes, and it’s important to fully understand these before moving forward.

Our surrogacy attorneys are always available to speak about the legal considerations of completing a single male surrogacy or single female surrogacy when you contact our law firm at 919-821-1860. In the meantime, learn about the special considerations of single-parent surrogacy in North Carolina below.

Creating an Embryo

When heterosexual intended parents start the surrogacy process, they more than likely have already-created embryos to use. Having typically gone through other infertility methods, they have embryos available that include their own sperm and egg cells.

However, like LGBT couples pursuing surrogacy, single people choosing this family-building process will need to use a sperm or egg donor to complete their embryo. For example, in a surrogacy for a single man, an egg donor is needed, while a sperm donor is needed in a case of a single woman pursuing surrogacy to be a parent.

Fortunately, many surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics will help you find the perfect gamete donor to complete your embryo. You will get to choose characteristics of a donor, like appearance and personal health background. You may also choose to work with an identified donor, like a friend or family member. If you take this route, our ART attorneys can help complete any necessary donor contracts.

Finding a Surrogate

Whether you are a single male looking for a surrogate mother or a single female looking for a surrogate, know that there are women out there who are willing to carry for single intended parents. After all, more parents today are successfully raising a child on their own than ever before, and single parenting is a commonly accepted way of raising children in the U.S. today.

However, it’s important to note that it may take longer for you to match with a perfect surrogate if you are pursuing a single-parent surrogacy in North Carolina. Therefore, it’s a good idea for any single person pursuing surrogacy to work with a matching service like a surrogacy agency to have the best chance of finding a surrogate quickly.

Affording the Surrogacy Process

Another thing to consider about single-parent surrogacy is the cost. Surrogacy can be expensive and, if you are paying for the process on one income, it can be a stressful financial choice. In addition to the thousands of dollars required to complete a surrogacy, you will also need to be able to afford raising a child on your own after you have completed this family-building process.

Many single parents have successfully used surrogacy to add a child to their life, but it’s important that you consider the financial impact of surrogacy before starting, as well as financing options like loans and grants.

Establishing Parental Rights

Although you will need to use a donor gamete and will raise your child on your own, there is a straightforward established legal process in North Carolina for protecting rights of parents who use surrogacy, including single parents like you.

You will still be able to obtain a pre-birth order in North Carolina if you are completing a single-parent surrogacy, but there may be other steps that must be taken to either terminate a donor’s or the surrogate’s parental rights. Again, the attorneys at the Parker Herring Law Group PLLC can guide you through this legal process to ensure your rights to your child are safely protected.

At the Parker Herring Law Group PLLC, we also require every intended parent to complete a simple will before their child is born. While this requirement applies to all kinds of intended parents, it’s especially important for single parents pursuing surrogacy. In case something were to happen to you, your child would have no other legal guardian without a will. Therefore, a simple will detailing a future guardian of your child is instrumentally important — and required when you legalize your single-parent surrogacy through the Parker Herring Law Group PLLC.

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At the Parker Herring Law Group PLLC, we are honored to work with intended parents of all sexual orientation and marital status to help them make their parenthood dreams come true. We will work closely with you to understand your legal situation and ensure that all of the proper legal steps are followed in your single father surrogacy or single mother surrogacy.

To learn more about our surrogacy services, please contact our law firm today.