Surrogacy By State

Surrogacy in Arizona

If you’re wondering how to become a surrogate in Arizona, it’s important to know that surrogacy in Arizona is legally risky. This is because:

• Arizona prohibits “surrogacy contracts.”
• Surrogate parent contracts are not enforceable in the state, so compensated surrogacy is not enforced either.
• Traditional surrogacy also is legally risky.

But, surrogacy in Arizona can still be possible for you.

For these reasons and more, most surrogate professionals advise that surrogates and intended parents in Arizona match with a surrogate partner/s in another state.

If you want to pursue surrogacy in Arizona, contact us today to discuss your options. But, if you want to learn more about surrogacy in general and surrogacy in Arizona in particular, continue reading.

What is Surrogacy in Arizona?

Generally, surrogacy is a collaborative pregnancy between intended parents and a surrogate. A surrogate becomes pregnant after an embryo transfer. When the baby is born, the intended parents have legal parental rights, and the surrogate is compensated.

People almost always pursue gestational surrogacy because it’s less legally risky and not as emotionally straining as traditional surrogacy.

• Gestational surrogacy: In gestational surrogacy, the intended mother’s egg or a donor’s egg is fertilized and transferred to the surrogate. The surrogate is not related to the baby, and they share no genetic material.
• Traditional surrogacy: In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate’s egg is artificially inseminated by a sperm donor’s sperm or the intended father’s sperm. The surrogate is the biological mother of the child in this scenario.

Because Arizona has surrogacy laws that specifically ban surrogate parent contracts, the surrogate and the intended parents cannot both reside in the state. Pursuing any kind of surrogacy, including gestational surrogacy in Arizona, is essentially illegal, so a surrogate or intended parent should match with a surrogate party from another state where surrogacy laws are more favorable.

What do Surrogacy Agencies in Arizona do?

It’s recommended to work with experienced surrogacy agencies because professionals at these companies know how to:

• Interpret state’s existing or non-existing surrogacy laws
• Match intended parents and surrogates
• Support intended parents and surrogates throughout the surrogacy journey
• Figure out fair base pay compensation for surrogates
• And more

Surrogacy agencies like American Surrogacy urge prospective intended parents and surrogates in Arizona to work with a surrogate partner in another state to ensure their surrogacy goes smoothly and parental rights can easily be transferred.

How to Become a Surrogate in Arizona

The best way to become a surrogate in Arizona is to work with a trusted surrogacy agency that can match you with intended parents who live in another state.

To become a surrogate, here are some of the steps you’ll need to take:

1. Decide if surrogacy is right for you
2. Complete and pass required mental, physical and medical screenings
3. Match with intended parents
4. Get pregnant and fulfill any pre-birth contact agreements with the intended parents
5. Give birth and transfer all parental rights to the intended parents

How Much do Surrogates get Paid in Arizona

Again, it’s strongly suggested that surrogates not pursue surrogacy in Arizona because the state’s law does not allow “surrogate parent contracts.” And since these contracts are illegal, compensated surrogacy in Arizona cannot be enforced.

But, in general, surrogates can choose to pursue compensated (commercial) surrogacy or altruistic surrogacy.

Compensated Surrogacy

A surrogate will start to receive her base compensation in payments once a pregnancy is confirmed. These payments come every month, with the last payment arriving once the surrogate gives birth.

When you become a surrogate, you can expect to earn compensation ranging from $50,000-$110,000 for the time, energy and commitment you dedicate to the process. The amount you earn will largely depend on your experience with surrogacy, cost of living in your area and the agency you choose to work with.

In addition to getting compensation for surrogacy, all surrogates (including altruistic surrogates) receive free surrogacy- and pregnancy-related services. You’ll never have to pay to be a surrogate.

Altruistic Surrogacy

A surrogate may waive her right for compensation if she knows the intended parents and wants to help them keep their surrogacy costs down. But, most all surrogacy professionals will encourage surrogates to take some type of compensation to avoid feelings of frustration and worries of being taken advantage of as the surrogacy progresses.

Next Steps Toward Surrogacy in Arizona

You can continue reading about surrogacy in Arizona in the articles below. But, if you want to reach out to one of our specialists to figure out how you can have a safe surrogacy with an intended family in another state, contact us today.