Using social media to find a surrogate

Continuing from my last post; there are ways to use social media to help find a surrogate, without it being considered as advertising.

Firstly, private social media pages that are not accessible to the world at large, are generally a safe place for you to keep friends and family updated on your wishes to have a child. However, it is best to refrain from expressly stating that you are searching for a surrogate. Instead, consider words such as “we are exploring surrogacy”. In my experience, about 80% of my clients find their surrogates through openly sharing their wishes and challenges.

Secondly, there are dedicated community pages that are not open to the public at large which are a great way to connect with potential surrogates. The Australian Surrogacy Community is a private Facebook group set up to connect surrogates and intended parents. The forum provides useful guidance on all aspects of a surrogacy arrangement and in-person catch ups are organised through this forum. In Victoria, the Victorian Surrogacy Group (also on Facebook) is a local subset of the Australia-wide page.

So, whilst social media can be a useful tool, I add this caveat: asking or permitting others to do social media posts on your behalf to help you find a surrogate can be problematic. Whilst it is wonderful to have people who want to help you find a surrogate, they may have public pages with large numbers of followers and therefore such posts could be considered advertising.

My final piece of advice, always consult a surrogacy lawyer to help navigate how best to use social media to find a surrogate.

Nicole Russell is a specialist surrogacy and fertility lawyer advising heterosexual and LGBTIQ+ individuals and couples to achieve their dreams of becoming parents. Nicole provides specialist legal advice on all aspects of Australian and international surrogacy arrangements and fertility legal issues including the use and transport of donor gametes. Nicole is based in Melbourne and acts for clients in all Australian states and territories. Nicole is an IVF warrior and a mum through surrogacy in Australia.