Tens of thousands of dollars per child: how surrogacy works in New York

In New York, you can now completely legally be a surrogate mother and get paid for it. Edition Newsday told the stories of two women who were among the first to take advantage of the new law and earn money to help families have a child.

On the day Christine Bramante of Commac hoped to get pregnant, she took no chances. She was wearing pineapple socks and a Do It Shirt. After in vitro fertilization (IVF), she ate fries from McDonald's, which, according to anecdotal belief among women, increases the chances of getting pregnant.

Bramante has officially committed to follow all the rules that women must adhere to before, during and after IVF. This is done in order to give the implanted embryo all the possible benefits. The baby will be owned by a couple from New York, who have pinned their hopes of having a baby on Christine.

The procedure was successful. Bramante is now in his second trimester and is due in the spring. She is one of the first surrogate mothers in New York to receive official financial compensation for carrying a child not genetically related to her. This was made possible thanks to the Child and Parental Protection Act, which entered into force on 15 February.

Surrogacy is now legal in NYC

“A gestational surrogate is a woman who will carry an embryo, which is a combination of a male sperm and a female egg,” says Bramante, 37. “Biologically, this child does not belong to the woman who is carrying it. This is a complete biological child of another couple. ”

For families who may have fertility issues, same-sex couples previously had to move to other states to find a surrogate mother. This year, New York became the 48th state to legalize paid surrogacy.

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Altruistic surrogacy, in which usually a family member or friend voluntarily carries a child and receives no compensation, was and remains legal in New York. It is illegal in New York to enter into a traditional surrogacy agreement that uses the surrogate's own eggs to give her a biological bond with the baby.

How surrogate mothers meet their parents

Bramante met the parents of the child she was carrying through the city surrogacy agency. The woman has four children of her own, aged 3 to 10. Christine has worked as a nurse and doula and is now focusing on her family and pregnancy. Her husband, Robert Bramante, is an emergency room doctor.

“This is what I've always wanted to do,” says Bramante. The couple for whom she is carrying the fetus did not want to be interviewed. But Bramante says he talks to the baby's future parents at least once a week.

On Long Island, Bramante found a “colleague” and girlfriend in the person of Megan Smith. The two women originally met through a Facebook group for surrogate mothers from New York. The group currently has only 18 members.

Smith, 34, of Middle Island, is an emergency room nurse. She has three children of her own. She says that her family, including her husband, support her idea of ​​carrying a baby for another couple.

Smith met the parents of the child she was carrying through Facebook, where the couple posted a request to find a surrogate mother.

“From a young age, I knew that I could not bear the baby on my own,” says 41-year-old Gina Kuozzo, the biological mother of the unborn baby. She and her husband, Mike, formed and froze embryos after they got married six years ago, and began searching for a surrogate mother four years ago and eventually found Megan Smith.

Smith is preparing to receive her embryos, which is scheduled for November 4th.

“I can't tell who is more nervous about this procedure, they (biological parents) or me,” says Smith.

Earnings and requirements

Angela Richardson-Mook, chief executive of New York-based Alcea Surrogacy, says surrogate mothers can expect to earn between $ 45 and $ 000.

The surrogate mother is not compensated for the child, but for the resources of her body and the time she spends on pregnancy. Angela estimates that there are at least 20 potential parents for every surrogate mother.

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Intended Parents should expect to spend between $ 125 and $ 000 on all costs associated with the pregnancy of a surrogate mother. Agency fees can range from $ 175 to $ 000, Richardson-Mook said. There are also fees for legal contracts, personal expenses of pregnant women, insurance premiums and more.

“New York law protects the rights of surrogate mothers. The law guarantees that the surrogate mother, represented by her own attorney, has health insurance paid for by the parents-to-be. She retains the power to make decisions about pregnancy, ”says Amelia Demma, an East Hampton-based assisted reproductive technology lawyer.

The law also simplifies the process for couples who wish to become parents. They receive a court order recognizing them as parents at the time of the child's birth.