As an attorney practicing in the field, and as an officer in an egg donation agency, Extraordinary Conceptions, LLC, I completely agree with Alternative Reproductive Resources and their ethical code, which can soon be found at their website (http://www.arr1.com/). I now work professionally with my reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Michael Feinman of Huntington Reproductive Center, but when I told him I was opening my law practice in assisted reproduction and a surrogacy and egg donation agency, he applauded the law practice, but said, "Just what we need, another agency." Trust me, the phrase was dripping with sarcasm, but I don't think I need to tell you that.
After he got over his shock, he said he would help me and gave me some great advice on what not to do. I can never thank him enough for that advice on "what not to do" when running an agency. It has helped tremendously.
One of the problems is that states do not require any licensing for surrogacy and egg donation agencies. If you can obtain a business license, you can open a surrogacy and egg donation agency - no experience or skills necessary. The State of California has no plans to pursue licensing procedures and it doesn't look like they have any long-term plans to require it, so it means that all parties must be vigilant when choosing an agency. it's not an easy thing to do, considering how emotional this process is, but it is essential to everyone's success. It's heartbreaking to me when agency owners take Intended Parents' money that they have worked so hard for. All the couple or individual wants is a baby, something most people can do automatically. For the infertile, a baby takes a lot of hard work and a lot of money.
The complete article can be found here: http://sev.prnewswire.com/health-care-hospitals/20071024/AQW18924102007-1.html#
