With changing times, increasing numbers of infertile Jewish couples are looking for surrogate mothers to carry their child so that they can also realize their dreams of parenthood. As renting-a-womb is fairly a expensive phenomenon, many people in well-off countries look for affordable surrogacy abroad. However, surrogacy for Jewish couples could be a complicated matter because of their traditional and religious observance.

The halachic definition is not clear about whether the religious status of the child should depend on the egg donor, the woman bearing the child or both. However, with the increase in the number of Jewish egg donors and the concept of conversion for a child born from the egg of a non-Jewish donor, more and more Jewish couples are contacting surrogacy clinics across the world to find suitable surrogate mothers.

Surrogacy for Jewish Couples – Halachic Considerations

As with various other aspects of Jewish way of life, the opinions differ about the permissibility regarding the use of donor eggs.

• There are three general opinions when it comes to Jewish egg donation to identify the mother of child as per halachic consensus – the birth mother, the egg donor or both.
• As per the birth mother definition, the child born is considered Jewish regardless the religion of the egg donor.
• As per the egg donor definition, the child is considered Jewish only if the egg donor is also a Jewish, regardless the religion of the birth mother.
• As per the “Both” definition, the child is considered Jewish if both the egg donor and the birth mother are Jewish. However, if only one of them is the follower of Jewish faith, then the child must go through the process of conversion to be considered as Jewish.
• In all Jewish infertility treatments, halachic supervision is requisite for validating the halachic identity of all the genetic materials utilized. The process is necessary to ensure that eggs from a suitable donor and sperms from correct prospective father were used.

In order to satisfy all three definitions completely, the optimal egg donor should be a single Jewish woman. However, it is not easy to get such a donor every time. Therefore, couples must discuss Jewish surrogacy with their Rabbi or counselors at surrogacy clinics to identify the best alternative for their particular situations.

Places for Jewish Surrogacy

Many countries provide surrogacy services for Jewish couples. The USA provides gestational surrogacy for Jewish couples. However, the cost of surrogacy is much higher in the US when compared to the prices of getting a surrogate in India and some Eastern European countries such as Armenia, Ukraine and Georgia. Because of this huge price difference, more and more Jewish couples are seeking services of surrogate mothers in these parts of the world. 

Apart from the lower costs, there are several other advantages of availing surrogacy services in Armenia, India, Ukraine, and Georgia, some of which are given as below:

• The psychologists at surrogacy clinics in India and Eastern Europe evaluate a lot of applicants to determine a suitable surrogate for childless couples.
• The surrogacy centers run many egg donor programs to locate healthy egg donors who are within the approved age limits.
• They will also help you to get a Jewish egg donor.
• Doctors at these centers have a lot of experience in performing the surrogacy procedure effectively and professionally.
• The leading fertility clinics in these places provide necessary surrogacy support and guidance to surrogates and prospective Jewish parents to make sure that they are physically and mentally prepared to go through the whole process.
• The surrogacy laws in India and Armenia are quite liberal.
• Reputable surrogacy clinics in these countries have proficient attorneys that help in preparing all the legal documents needed to safeguard the rights of a surrogate mother, child and intended parents.
• The facilities in these parts have all the latest equipment and technology to carry out the surrogacy procedure successfully.

Jewish couples from all walks of life and levels of religious belief have availed the benefits of surrogacy at these places. If you would like to more information on surrogacy for Jewish couples or to get a quote on cost of surrogacy in Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia or India, you can contact Surrogate Clinics.

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