| Assisted Reproduction |

Reproductive surrogacy is an arrangement that involves a woman, or surrogate, carrying and delivering a child for another person or couple. Traditional surrogacy occurs when the surrogate is impregnated through natural or artificial means, while gestational surrogacy occurs when an embryo from another couple is implanted into the surrogate’s uterus. Traditional surrogacy is often needed when the female member of a couple is unable to conceive. Gestational surrogacy typically occurs when a pregnancy would be dangerous for the biological mother or child, or when both partners are of the same gender.

A surrogacy case is most likely to require a contract when it involves monetary compensation, which is usually paid to the surrogate. A case that involves compensation, above medical and other reasonable expenses, is commonly known as commercial surrogacy, while cases in which the surrogate doesn’t make a profit is known as altruistic surrogacy.

Adoption is another option that usually requires legal representation, and may generally be classified into open adoptions and closed adoptions. An open adoption allows the biological parents to provide the adoptive parents with information that identifies the child, and may include direct interaction between the adoptee and his or her natural parents. In rare cases, an open adoption may also result from laws that grant the adoptee access to unaltered adoption records. A closed adoption prevents the disclosure of identifying information to the adoptee or adoptive parents. Closed adoptions may allow the disclosure of non-identifying information such as the parent’s medical history and ethnic background.