Adoption vs. Surrogacy in Texas
Choosing the Best Way to Grow Your Family
Both adoption and surrogacy can help you fulfill your dreams of growing your family, but there are differences between the two.
We will share the differences between surrogacy vs. adoption in Texas to help you decide what option is best for you to grow your family. You can also contact us today to get information about adoption, or contact our sister agency American Surrogacy to learn more about the surrogacy process.
What is Adoption vs. Surrogacy in Texas?
Adoption is a process in which a family who wants to have a child can legally gain the right to parent a child who was born to another person. Surrogacy is a medical procedure that creates a pregnancy in a woman, who carries the pregnancy so that another family can add a child to their family.
The adoption process can begin at any time during a child’s life, whereas surrogacy always begins with pregnancy. However, many families have adoption plans in place before a child is born. If the child is legally adopted soon after birth, it is called an infant adoption.
Infant adoption and surrogacy sometimes look similar from the outside. While both can involve pregnancy, one of the main differences between adoption and surrogacy in Texas is the initial cause of the pregnancy.
Generally, newborn adoption is an option for women who are experiencing an unintended pregnancy or who have recognized they are not in a place to raise a child, whereas in surrogacy a woman carries a pregnancy purposefully via IVF for intended parents who want to raise a child.
Surrogacy vs. Adoption Pros and Cons in Texas
Every family is different, but below are some common reasons why people choose either surrogacy or adoption.
Adoption
- Allows families to grow despite infertility: Families who are facing infertility and have tried IVF or IUI often come to the conclusion that they still want to grow their family. For these families, adoption can make their dreams possible.
- Allows people to have children who can’t otherwise: Same-sex couples and single people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have a child can grow their family through adoption.
- Gives a loving family to a child: Unlike surrogacy, in adoptions the adoptive child needs a family, either because the expectant parents are not in a place to raise a child, or because their parents no longer have parental rights, and the children are in foster care.
- Gives support to expectant mothers: Expectant mothers who choose adoption are often in difficult situations, and adoption can give these women counseling and support that they otherwise may not receive.
- Open adoptions can create life-long connections: Families who choose open adoption can create a connection with their child’s birth mother, which can add meaning to their own lives as well as to their child’s life.
Surrogacy
- Allows for genetically related children: Families who are struggling with infertility, same sex couples, and single people can have the opportunity to have a child who is genetically related to one or both parents when they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
- Assures intended parents an opportunity to be involved in pregnancy and birth: With surrogacy, you can be a part of pregnancy at every step. From the embryo transfer to birth, intended parents can experience pregnancy in a unique and special way.
- Allows you to build a bond with your surrogate: When you are chosen by birth parents in adoption, there can be some time before you are comfortable with the birth parents. Surrogacy can allow you to get to know birth parents from the beginning, before pregnancy, and continue getting to know them throughout the pregnancy.
- Can have fewer restrictions: While adoption agencies sometimes have strict limits on things like age for potential parents, surrogacy agencies sometimes have more flexibility.
- Can give confidence that your surrogate can carry a healthy pregnancy: Women who choose to be surrogates are generally people who have given birth before. They are screened for health issues and have had healthy pregnancies, and often even enjoy the process of pregnancy, which can mean more predictability during the pregnancy process.
- Allows more control and peace of mind: IVF and adoption can be beautiful ways of growing your family, but they can also be unpredictable. Surrogacy can give intended parents more control in when they would like to have a child, and allows them to be involved from the very beginning.
Whether you choose adoption or surrogacy in Texas, growing your family can be a joyful experience, but it can also be complicated. Getting the right help for your surrogacy or adoption in Texas can make all the difference.
To get help with your adoption, you can call our experienced staff at American Adoptions at 1-800-ADOPTION. And if surrogacy is the preferred choice for your family, you can get in contact with American Surrogacy through their online form.
Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.