Criminal Background Checks

What’s the Point? Why does Southwest Surrogacy do background checks?

Most Surrogacy Agencies hire a company to run background checks on their intended parents (IPs) and gestational carrier candidates, including husbands/partners.  Southwest Surrogacy extends this requirement to include all adults in the household over the age of 18. 

These checks are performed, not because everyone is under suspicion, but because it just makes all parties more comfortable. You want to believe that people would be honest upfront but what is important for you to know may not be what they want to share. Now, if you are working with someone that you know well; a family member or a close friend, you likely don’t need to have a background check. But if you are working with someone you hardly know, maybe you met on the internet or by classified ad or it’s a friend of a friend of a friend, a background check is a good idea, for all parties. 

What are you looking for? DUI’s, drug conviction, child abuse, criminal charges, theft and so forth. Anything that will give you pause about working together. It’s better to find these things out before the contracts are signed than after.  We are frequently asked if a previous arrest would rule someone out as either an intended parent of a gestational carrier and the answer is: it depends. More than anything a surrogacy relationship requires transparency and trust. As long as you are up front about any indiscretions in your past, and, hey, many of us have done some pretty silly things in our youth, it’s a lot easier to get past the issue and move on.  Honesty is key! 

If you are unsure if you may qualify or have further questions feel free to email us at info@southwestsurro.com or if you are ready to start the process to become a gestational carrier please fill out our intake form here.