Gay & Lesbian Parenting Choices: From Adoptions or Using a Surrogate to Choosing the Perfect Father [Paperback]

Brette McWhorter Sember (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Creating a family is one of the greatest joys a couple can have, but gay and lesbian couples face unique challenges when they wish to become parents together. Gay & Lesbian Parenting Choices provides a complete explanation of the many ways gay or lesbian couples can create a family and the legal hoops they must jump through as part of the process. Written by an attorney in an-easy-to-understand style, this guide provides a comprehensive look at the options available to gay couples and offers advice and information on how best to proceed.

Different types of adoptions international, domestic agency, state agency, private, and facilitator-led are discussed, in addition to open versus closed adoptions. Special emphasis is paid to the considerations and concerns gay adoptive parents face, such as how to tell whether an agency is gay-friendly and whether both partners can adopt simultaneously or must use a two-part process. Advice is offered on finding an agency and dealing with the home study.

Gay & Lesbian Parenting Choices also considers the wide variety of assisted family-building choices, including donor sperm and insemination, egg donors and surrogates, as well as new technologies on the horizon. Consent laws, fertility procedures, choosing donors or surrogates, finding fertility clinics that are gay friendly, and advice about how to make sure your family is legally protected is also covered.

Other parenting options such as foster care and adopting your partner’s child are included, in addition to family protection measures such as wills and medical consents, getting cooperation from schools, finding support for your family, and talking about your family with your child.

This complete guide helps gay and lesbian prospective parents choose the path to parenthood that will work best for them and offers advice and support as they journey towards becoming a family.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brette McWhorter Sember is a retired attorney and mediator who has authored 17 self-help books, including The Complete Gay Divorce (New Page Books) and Gay and Lesbian Legal Rights, a Ben Franklin Award Finalist which is a featured alternate of InsightOutBooks and was selected by Quality Paperback Book Club. Her work has appeared in more than 140 publications, including Divorce Magazine, American Baby, Writer’s Digest and Home Business Journal. She is a contributing writer for ePregnancy Magazine. She lives in New York State with her family.

Product Details

• Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: Career Press; 1 edition (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564148378
• ISBN-13: 978-1564148377
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,210,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Covers the basics and geared toward Lesbian couples, May 24, 2009

By 

J. Garrett "non-fiction only" (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gay & Lesbian Parenting Choices: From Adoptions or Using a Surrogate to Choosing the Perfect Father (Paperback)

This book is a quick read. It covers the basics of all types of adoptions that are available to gay & lesbian couples, so there are some details that aren't covered. This book is a great place to start especially if you don't know where to begin. The book was written and speaks to Lesbian couples specifically, which didn't really bother us (gay male couple). The book also includes links to many good resources, which I found helpful. There were a few typos and contradictions, which left me thinking the book lacked a thorough edit.

For example, page 18 says "It is very unlikely that you will be able to adopt a newborn (domestically)" and then on page 25, one of the "Pros" to adopting a child domestically is "You may be able to adopt a newborn". Then again on page 20, it states "International adoptions are the most expensive, and domestic public agency adoptions are the lest expensive"...where on page 27, is says "International adoptions are less expensive than domestic adoptions". So a reader will find themselves confused or seeking another source for the correct information.