Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the characteristics of parents and intended parents and their current and planned behaviour in relation to surrogacy arrangements.

Design, setting and participants: Members of two Australian parenting support forums who were considering surrogacy or were currently or previously in a surrogacy arrangement were invited to complete an online survey during July 2013.

The following brochures are available in hardcopy:

• Possible health effects of IVF
• Finding an egg donor
• Finding a surrogate
• Time to Tell
• Thinking of using donor sperm, eggs or embryos?
• Thinking of donating donor sperm, eggs or embryos?
• Donor Conception Register Services

Attorney General George Brandis has announced a Commonwealth parliamentary inquiry into surrogacy, to be conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs.

Announcing the inquiry, the Attorney General’s media release stated that “surrogacy raises a broad range of legal and social issues, and raises questions relating to the rights, responsibilities, values and protections of Australian citizens”.

For people considering surrogacy, it can be difficult to know where to begin and what to anticipate. Before entering into any surrogacy arrangement within Australia, there are key questions that each person should ask to avoid legal uncertainty and possible missteps. VARTA, in collaboration with Kellehers Australia, has compiled a legal checklist resource which should be essential reading for anyone contemplating a surrogacy arrangement. These checklists are modifications of the checklists devised and created by Kellehers Australia.