Considering Surrogacy in South Carolina? What You Need to Know

Often, when intended parents and prospective surrogates consider surrogacy in the South, they ask, “What are the surrogacy laws in South Carolina, and can I complete a surrogacy in this state?”

Know that this family-building option is a possibility for you — and the professionals at Southern Surrogacy can help guide you through it.

Whether you are an intended parent or prospective surrogate, you can receive all of the professional assistance you need when you contact our full-service South Carolina surrogacy program. Our professionals work throughout the southeastern United States, guiding clients through every step of the surrogacy process from beginning to end. We can help you reach your surrogacy goals in a safe and legal manner.

To learn more about completing a surrogacy in South Carolina with our program, please call Southern Surrogacy at 855-787-2229. We can provide a complimentary initial consult to answer your questions and help determine whether this is the right path for you.

Below, you’ll find some basic information about surrogacy in South Carolina to start your research.

The Truth About South Carolina Surrogacy Laws

Like many states in this region, South Carolina has no state surrogacy laws regulating this practice. However, surrogacy professional and surrogacy lawyers in South Carolina have established a safe and legal process for intended parents and prospective surrogates to make their surrogacy dreams come true.

Surrogacy in South Carolina is legal, and a surrogate can be compensated for her services. Intended parents can establish their parental rights prior to the birth of their child, and South Carolina surrogacy attorneys will help negotiate a legal surrogacy contract that protects the rights and interests of both parties prior to any medical procedures. Once complete, this contract will be upheld by South Carolina surrogacy case laws.

As long as you work with a proper surrogacy professional in South Carolina, you and your surrogacy partner will have a safe journey. Southern Surrogacy can always provide the experienced legal assistance you need to navigate South Carolina surrogacy laws, as well as the case management services required for the other aspects of your surrogacy.

The Process of Surrogacy in SC

Because there are no surrogacy laws in South Carolina, this family-building process can be confusing to first-time surrogates and intended parents. Southern Surrogacy can help.

Our experienced professionals will guide you through your surrogacy process to ensure all proper legal, medical and practical steps are completed appropriately. The first step is always to contact our South Carolina surrogacy agency to learn more about the process ahead of you. We will answer your questions, discuss your surrogacy goals and needs and, when you’re ready, help you start your surrogacy journey.

After you have met with our professionals and confirmed your willingness to start your South Carolina surrogacy process, we will guide you through the following steps:

  • Matching with a surrogate or intended parent: Finding the right partner for your surrogacy journey is an important part of your success moving forward. Our agency has a mutual matching process, meaning you and a prospective surrogate or intended parent will have the chance to select each other and ensure a match is 100 percent right before moving forward. We will connect you to potential matches based on your surrogacy goals and mediate phone conversations or in-person meetings to help you confirm a match is perfect.
  • Signing the surrogacy contract: Once you have located a match, our surrogacy attorneys will help you draft a surrogacy contract to finalize it. This surrogacy contract will cover every potential aspect of your surrogacy journey, including the rights and responsibilities of each party, to ensure you are both aware of your expectations before moving forward. A contract must be completed before a surrogacy in South Carolina can begin.
  • Completing the medical process: After your contract is signed, you and your surrogacy partner can begin the medical process of surrogacy. Usually, intended parents will already have a fertility clinic for treatment, and the surrogate will work with that medical professional to prepare for embryo transfer. Once her pregnancy is confirmed, a surrogate can work with her local obstetrician for the remainder of her pregnancy.
  • Establishing parental rights: Our surrogacy attorneys will work with intended parents to establish their parental rights through a pre-birth order, submitted to a local court as early as during the surrogate’s second trimester. Our attorneys will take care of every step needed to ensure the parents’ names are placed on the birth certificate at the hospital.

Every surrogacy in South Carolina is different, and the steps required in your journey may vary from others. Working with Southern Surrogacy will ensure that all the necessary steps are taken care of and that you can have as stress-free and successful a surrogacy process as possible.

Other Professionals You’ll Need for a South Carolina Surrogacy

While Southern Surrogacy can provide the legal and case management services needed in your South Carolina surrogacy, there are a few other professionals you will need to select, as well. Our agency can always provide references to trusted South Carolina surrogacy professionals, but the decision will always be up to you.

As part of your matching and screening processes with our program, we will arrange for services from a mental health professional. However, you will need to find medical professionals — fertility clinic, obstetrician and hospital — for the medical process of surrogacy. Intended parents likely have an existing relationship with a fertility clinic, and they can use that clinic during their surrogacy process.

However, if you are an intended parent and have not selected a fertility clinic, our professionals can refer you to local fertility and surrogacy clinics in South Carolina, such as:

Intended parents can use fertility clinics in other southern states, as well. When you approach our program without a fertility clinic, our professionals will provide an extensive list of surrogacy clinics in South Carolina and nearby for you to choose from. Find a local fertility professional by searching the American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s database.

How to Move Forward with a Surrogacy in South Carolina

Don’t let the lack of surrogacy laws in South Carolina dissuade you from this family-building process; surrogacy in South Carolina is a safe and legal way for you to reach your goals. However, because surrogacy is always changing, it’s important that you work with an experienced professional from the very beginning.

Southern Surrogacy’s program can provide all of the services you need, whether you’re an intended parent or prospective surrogate. If you are interested in surrogacy in South Carolina, please reach out to our professionals at 855-787-2229 to learn more and determine whether this is the right path for you.