LibraryLGBT Family Building

As the nation’s leading inclusive family building organization, The AFA is dedicated to educating and supporting all men and women who dream of having a family - including hopeful lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents.

FAQs

Are there laws for sperm donation?

Answer:

Laws about donor insemination vary from state to state, and are often changing. For example, some states have statutes in place specifically indicating that sperm donors are not considered to be the legal father of any child born through their donation as long as the donor’s sperm was given directly to a physician, and not to the recipient directly. In addition, many of these same statutes explicitly apply only to married women, thus making it much more difficult for either single women or lesbian couples to protect themselves from a donor’s attempt at establishing paternity.

What is Reciprocal In Vitro Fertilization?

Answer:

Lesbian couples not experiencing infertility may choose to retrieve the eggs from one partner,
inseminate those eggs with donor sperm and then have the resulting embryo(s) placed into the other partner, who will hopefully become pregnant via this process. This is known as reciprocal IVF.

Which states allow same-sex couples to adopt?

Answer:

They are California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

What are the reproductive options for lesbians?

Answer:

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) or artificial insemination is an option for gay women. Additionally, In vitro fertillization might be recommended by a reproductive endocrinologist as the best option to conceive. A sperm donor will be needed for both of these procedures.

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