The assisted reproduction field is still relatively new and largely unregulated. Over the past several weeks, news has filtered out about surrogacy agencies not returning calls, closing their doors, and absconding with clients’ money. Clients are left with little or no recourse. And unfortunately, some of these clients already have surrogates who are pregnant and are expecting payment.
What’s to be done? Litigation is costly, in terms of money (court costs and attorney fees), time and heart. And assuming you prevail, the defendant may be judgment proof and have no funds to reimburse you. In this field, like so many others, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So do homework and do “due diligence” first.
This rest of this week we will cover different ways you, as a consumer and intended parent, can protect yourself and your dreams. Don’t trust just anyone to help you create your family! You want to ensure yourselves the best possible chances of success.
Here are some hints as to how you can check out and compare surrogate programs.
1. Physical Plant: Is there a real brick and mortar office or just a post office box or e-mail address? Check the USPS.gov site to verify that the address is given is authentic. It is important to find a program which will still be in business or which at least can be physically found if there is a difficulty. Ask if you can come meet in person. Beware of those companies which only list an email address or post office box or say they never meet with clients.
2. Longevity: How long has this agency or company been in business? How many assisted reproduction matters has the program worked with? Will they give you references? What professionals have they worked with? What Fertility Centers? Do call the referrals, including professionals and fertility centers, and listen to what they have to say.
3. Program Warnings: Check with the local Better Business Bureau to see if there are complaints against the program. While having no complaints is not indicative of either a good or bad program, complaints filed do give you some information. Check with Surrogate Mothers Online to see if there are warnings posted about the organization or any of its members from other surrogates. Additionally, ask if the program or program director has ever been sued. If yes, look at they type of suit. Does it involve fraud or ethics? (Do another internet search for court filings.) You can use www.Pacer.org to see if the principals have ever filed for bankruptcy. And you can Google the program and director and see what you can find.
Check back tomorrow for more tips on what to look for when choosing your assisted reproduction program.
As always, questions or comments are welcome!
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