How can people who want to become surrogate mothers in the United States find surrogate mother recruitment agencies?
Ⅰ. Legal state screening and institutional distribution characteristics
1. List of Legal States and Legal Environment
• Fully legal states: 41 states including California, Nevada, Illinois, and Washington D.C. allow commercial surrogacy, with California having the most comprehensive legal system, supporting same-sex and unmarried couples, and allowing confirmation of custody before birth.
• Restricted states: Although New York State legalizes commercial surrogacy on February 15, 2025, attention should be paid to its early history of prohibiting commercial surrogacy; Louisiana and three other states explicitly prohibit it.
• Lack of clear legal provisions: 16 states including Colorado and Georgia lack clear legal provisions, and feasibility needs to be judged through case studies.
2. Areas with concentrated institutions
California: Los Angeles serves as a medical center, while San Diego has a high concentration of surrogacy agencies and abundant Chinese resources, making it suitable for Chinese clients.
Nevada: Allowing unmarried individuals to engage in surrogacy without the need for marriage registration, with a simple legal process.
Ⅱ.Institution types and screening criteria
1. Classification of institutions
• Commercial surrogacy agencies:
Typical case: Noel Kean Infertility Center (historical case), providing full process services including legal agreements, medical matching, etc.
Qualification requirements: Must be recognized by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and hold a state-level license.
• Public welfare organizations: rare, mostly non-profit, with limited resources, usually through cooperation with medical institutions.
2. Core screening criteria
Legal compliance: Confirm that the state where the institution is located allows commercial surrogacy and understand local judicial procedures (such as New York requiring court orders).
ASRM certification: Priority should be given to institutions that have been audited by ASRM to ensure compliance with ethical guidelines (such as allowing only medically necessary surrogacy).
Success stories and word-of-mouth: Obtain authentic reviews through third-party platforms such as Reddit and Facebook communities to avoid relying on advertisements.
Ⅲ. Finding channels and operational steps
1. Online resources
• Official website: Visit the ASRM official website to obtain a list of certification bodies, or directly check the official websites of well-known institutions (such as Circle Surrogacy).
• Professional platform: Register on commercial platforms such as Surrogate.com, fill out application forms, and match surrogate mothers.
• Forum and Community: Participate in r/surrogacy (Reddit), surrogacy support groups (Facebook), etc. to gain experience sharing and institutional recommendations.
2. Offline channels
Recommended reproductive clinics: Contact IVF clinics in Los Angeles, New York, and other places to obtain a list of cooperative surrogacy agencies.
Legal and intermediary services: Entrust lawyers specializing in reproductive law to obtain a list of compliant agencies and review contracts.
3. Word of mouth and recommendations
Completed family recommendation: Successfully obtained institutional evaluation through surrogacy, with a focus on the institution's response speed, transparency, and risk management capabilities.
Ⅳ.Legal Agreements and Risk Avoidance
1. Core terms of the contract
• Cost payment: Clearly phased payments (such as signing contracts, embryo transfer, and after delivery), with a total cost typically ranging from 30000 to 50000 US dollars, covering medical expenses, living allowances, and insurance.
• Medical decision-making power: It is stipulated that surrogate mothers must follow the doctor's advice and are prohibited from terminating the pregnancy or refusing necessary treatment without authorization.
• Embryo type restrictions: Most states prohibit traditional surrogacy (using surrogate eggs) and only allow pregnancy surrogacy (using donor or principal reproductive cells).
2. Insurance and Health Screening
• Medical insurance: Require institutions to provide insurance coverage for pregnancy, childbirth, and complications. California SB 729 proposes mandatory healthcare coverage for LGBTQ+and single individuals.
• Screening of surrogate mothers: including infectious disease detection (HIV, hepatitis B, etc.), chronic disease screening (diabetes, hypertension) and psychological assessment.
3. Inspiration from controversial cases
Baby M case: Avoid choosing states with unclear laws (such as early cases in New Jersey), and prioritize areas with well-established laws such as California.
• Health risks: Institutions should limit the number of embryos implanted (usually 1-2) and clarify additional protocols for multiple pregnancies.
Ⅴ.Summary and operational suggestions
Core steps
1. Select legal states: Prioritize areas with clear laws and abundant resources such as California and Nevada.
2. Verify institutional qualifications: Confirm ASRM certification and state-level licenses to avoid unqualified institutions.
3. Multi channel comparison: Based on online platforms, clinic recommendations, and word-of-mouth evaluations, select 3-5 institutions.
4. Legal review: Entrust a reproductive law lawyer to review the contract, ensuring that the terms cover costs, medical decisions, and risk bearing.
Risk Warning
• State legal differences: Cross state operations should pay attention to jurisdictional issues and avoid choosing states with conflicting laws.
• Contract loophole: Clearly define the "abandonment" clause and stipulate legal responsibilities for failure to fulfill obligations (such as payment of child support).
This report focuses on the operational path and objective conditions, without involving ethical disputes, and aims to provide a screening framework for compliant institutions for surrogate mothers.
