Increasing demand for assisted reproductive treatment, and a decline in the number of children available for adoption, means that more Australians will start to consider surrogacy as an alternative.
(PRWEB) August 13, 2011
According to Nicole Berg, an accredited family law specialist at Walsh Halligan Douglas Lawyers and a surrogacy arrangements expert, between 30 and 50 Australian couples use this method to start a family each year.
“Increasing demand for assisted reproductive treatment, and a decline in the number of children available for adoption, means that more Australians will start to consider surrogacy as an alternative,” Ms Berg said.
Surrogacy has long been a complicated issue in Australia, with each state and territory having separate rules to govern the issue.
In Queensland, surrogacy is defined as an arrangement between a birth mother and another person or couple, where the birth mother agrees to become pregnant with a child for the intended parents.
The child born as a result of the pregnancy will be permanently relinquished by the birth mother into the care and custody of the intended parents.
The current law states that such arrangements are to be altruistic, that is, with no payment involved.
Couples considering surrogacy should first seek the advice of their lawyer to ensure that legally binding arrangements are in place.
“The last thing a couple needs is a legal fight upon the birth of their much-awaited child. There are measures that can be put in place before, during and after surrogacy to ensure the process goes smoothly for both the surrogate and parents,” Ms Berg said.
Walsh Halligan Douglas Lawyers is an independently owned, Queensland law firm that thinks outside the square and takes a fresh approach to the law. We are distinctively different, actively small and are proud of our Queensland heritage. It is our mission to become Queensland’s leading provider of quality legal solutions in the areas of commercial law, property, litigation and personal services (family law, personal injury and wills and estates).
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Marissa Brown
Walsh Halligan Douglas Lawyers
(07)32325700
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