Name: Nurturing dreams and building families through surrogacy
Uploaded: 2023-08-18T03:05:07.661Z
Duration: 171
Description: Hear from Sarah Jefford, a seasoned surrogacy advocate as she delves into the heartwarming world of surrogacy. As a previous surrogate, Sarah offers valuable insight as she shares knowledge from her own journey for people who seek to use surrogacy as a family building option.

Sarah Jefford.mp4

Sarah Jefford.vtt

Sarah Jefford

{{00:00:12}}
That's a really good question.

{{00:00:13}}
They really need to be making a friendship
and building a relationship with somebody

{{00:00:17}}
that's going to carry their baby.

{{00:00:19}}
Surrogacy is a legal process, but
the relationships that continue

{{00:00:22}}
between the parties is most important.

{{00:00:24}}
So having somebody that they can
have a long-term friendship with

{{00:00:28}}
is the most important thing.

{{00:00:38}}
Surrogacy arrangements involve
counseling for all the parties,

{{00:00:41}}
including psychological assessments
and then the parties get legal advice.

{{00:00:45}}
So the birth parents will have
one lawyer and the intended

{{00:00:49}}
parents will have a second lawyer.

{{00:00:51}}
And often there's an arrangement, an
agreement drafted up between the lawyers.

{{00:00:55}}
And then once they've completed the
counseling and the legal advice, then

{{00:00:58}}
they can sign off on the agreement
and proceed to the pregnancy attempts.

{{00:01:01}}
The process does differ between
states, but that's a general overview.

{{00:01:13}}
Many intended parents from Australia
travel overseas for surrogacy, often

{{00:01:17}}
because they have trouble finding
a surrogate here in Australia.

{{00:01:20}}
So intended parents will often
consider going to the US or Canada.

{{00:01:24}}
And sometimes Mexico or
Columbia or Argentina.

{{00:01:27}}
That process is usually managed by
an international agency or a clinic,

{{00:01:31}}
and then they have to apply to
bring their baby back to Australia.

{{00:01:34}}
Either through obtaining Australian
citizenship or with a visa.

{{00:01:42}}
Oh look, most of the process
is very rewarding for me.

{{00:01:49}}
I get to meet people at the very beginning
when they're very excited about having

{{00:01:53}}
a surrogacy arrangement and possibly
meeting a baby that they've longed for.

{{00:01:57}}
I also really delight in hearing
that a baby has been born.

{{00:02:00}}
They will send me photographs and details
about their new baby and you can just see

{{00:02:04}}
how much, how much love there is between
the parties and also for that child.

{{00:02:18}}
I think if they're considering
surrogacy in Australia, they really

{{00:02:21}}
need to consider the complexities of
the arrangement and the relationship

{{00:02:24}}
that they're building between the
surrogate and the intended parents.

{{00:02:27}}
It's a lifelong relationship.

{{00:02:29}}
So while the legal process will
end, their friendship and their

{{00:02:32}}
relationship beyond that will continue.

{{00:02:34}}
Potentially for the rest
of the child's life.

{{00:02:36}}
So if they can find somebody that they
have a good relationship with and can

{{00:02:40}}
trust each other, then that's going to
be a positive experience for everybody.

They really need to be making a friendship
and building a relationship with somebody

Surrogacy is a legal process, but
the relationships that continue

So having somebody that they can
have a long-term friendship with

Surrogacy arrangements involve
counseling for all the parties,

including psychological assessments
and then the parties get legal advice.

So the birth parents will have
one lawyer and the intended

And often there's an arrangement, an
agreement drafted up between the lawyers.

And then once they've completed the
counseling and the legal advice, then

they can sign off on the agreement
and proceed to the pregnancy attempts.

The process does differ between
states, but that's a general overview.

Many intended parents from Australia
travel overseas for surrogacy, often

because they have trouble finding
a surrogate here in Australia.

So intended parents will often
consider going to the US or Canada.

And sometimes Mexico or
Columbia or Argentina.

That process is usually managed by
an international agency or a clinic,

and then they have to apply to
bring their baby back to Australia.

Either through obtaining Australian
citizenship or with a visa.

Oh look, most of the process
is very rewarding for me.

I get to meet people at the very beginning
when they're very excited about having

a surrogacy arrangement and possibly
meeting a baby that they've longed for.

I also really delight in hearing
that a baby has been born.

They will send me photographs and details
about their new baby and you can just see

how much, how much love there is between
the parties and also for that child.

I think if they're considering
surrogacy in Australia, they really

need to consider the complexities of
the arrangement and the relationship

that they're building between the
surrogate and the intended parents.

So while the legal process will
end, their friendship and their

Potentially for the rest
of the child's life.

So if they can find somebody that they
have a good relationship with and can

trust each other, then that's going to
be a positive experience for everybody.

Expert Insight

Hear from Sarah Jefford, a seasoned surrogacy advocate as she delves into the heartwarming world of surrogacy. As a previous surrogate, Sarah offers valuable insight as she shares knowledge from her own journey for people who seek to use surrogacy as a family building option.