Agencies Launch Program to Help Parents With Surrogacy Births
in Illinois
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CHICAGO (Jan. 12, 2010) – Two Chicago-area surrogacy firms today announced
the launch of a program designed to facilitate the delivery in Illinois of babies
carried by gestational surrogates.
Alternative Reproductive Resources (ARR), Chicago, and the Center for Egg Options
(CEO), Northbrook, Ill., created The Surrogacy Advantage to help more intended
parents benefit by the state’s surrogacy friendly status.
Gestational surrogacy is when a third party carries a child that will be parented
by another individual or couple; the child is not conceived with the surrogate’s
egg. In Illinois, if at least one intended parent has contributed the sperm or
egg(s) and if they fulfill all of the necessary legal requirements prior to the
child’s birth, they are recognized as the child’s legal parents through
an administrative process, without an adoption, allowing them full custody of
the child upon its birth.
“We’ve fully addressed the necessary legal and medical guidelines
to give parents the best possible outcome once the baby’s arrived,” said
Robin von Halle, president of ARR.
Added Nancy Block, president of CEO www.egg411.com, “Both
of our agencies have certain clients – those who live overseas, for example – who
need help coordinating an Illinois birth. We want to make it work.”
Under the program, the two agencies will jointly recommend willing surrogates
to clients, and will also administer arrangements for other agencies whose clients
need assistance arranging Illinois births. The program includes:
- Securing an obstetrician for the surrogate.
- Facilitating hospital coverage.
- An exclusive surrogacy health insurance that allows for payments
to be stretched over five months.
- Provision of lodgings for out-of-state surrogates and their
families.
- Referral to a legal specialist with expertise in third-party
fertility matters.
- Referral for independent psychological testing.
- Independent, bonded/insured escrow services for the surrogate’s
payments.
- Referral to a nutrition counselor for the surrogate.
ARR and CEO have been matching parents with gestational surrogates
for a combined 15 years. “It’s a tremendous amount
of work, so it makes sense for us to combine our knowledge of
surrogacy and Illinois’ unique environment to help people
on this path,” said Block.
For further information on The Surrogacy Advantage, contact von
Halle at info@arr1.com,
or Block at info@egg411.com.
Media contact:
Robyn Velasquez
Hodge Schindler Integrated Communications
312.666.6662
rvelasquez@hodgeschindler.com
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