Why Gay Dads Choose Canada for Their Surrogacy Journeys
August 14, 2026
Ariel during her pregnancy with Mark and Kevin's son.
Surrogacy is something I love! I spent the better part of a decade carrying babies for others because I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to have a family without barriers. But for a lot of couples, and in a lot of countries, barriers continue to exist, especially for those who fall outside of married, heterosexual partnerships. As progressive as we can be in some ways (hello, self-driving cars and robots), we still have a hard time coming to a global consensus on morality when it comes to baby making, which ends up restricting access to surrogacy to a handful of safe destinations for gay couples. It's not right, but it's the unfortunate reality. While we wait for laws and social acceptance to catch up, people still want to have kids, and while there continues to be some barriers, there is also a lot of success to be had and one option you have is [xyz]
Meeting Mark & Kevin
I met my third set of Intended Parents in 2017 and delivered their son just over a year later in my hometown in Canada. Mark and Kevin live in California and are the type of couple that, when you get together, it feels like no time has passed. We instantly clicked after our first time meeting. We were lucky to have a successful first transfer and a pretty smooth pregnancy, and even some visits in person at the halfway mark. If you ever worry about having a relationship long distance, DON'T! Technology makes it so easy to stay in contact and feel close these days, and by the time they arrived for the birth, I felt like we had known each other for years.
Mark and Kevin visiting Ariel in Canada at the halfway point of the pregnancy.
A Hospital That Treated Them Like Any Other Family
When their son was born, our hospital was so supportive. Both dads were in the room as well as multiple family members, and they were treated just like any other parent that had a baby there. Of course, this is the way it should be everywhere, but the reason Canada is a destination particularly for gay dads is because of our progressive non-discrimination laws. There are many parts of the world where surrogacy is restricted, and even if it is allowed, social acceptance and feeling safe are not always implied. Canada is different, and while not perfect, is a safe place to be a gay family.
Under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, surrogacy in Canada is open to intended parents regardless of sexual orientation, relationship status, or family structure.
What Canadian Law Actually Says About Surrogacy
Provincial law governs how parentage is established after birth, and the specifics vary by province, but in most cases, both intended parents are recognized as the legal parents through a parentage declaration or court order, and the birth certificate reflects that. Very rarely would a surrogate ever appear on a birth certificate.
If you're an international Intended Parent, it's also worth checking with a fertility and immigration lawyer in your home country before you start. Canada may recognize both dads as legal parents, but not every country automatically does, and that's a gap you want to know about ahead of time and how to plan for it.
The Weeks After the Birth
The few weeks post-birth were probably one of my favourite moments of any surrogacy journey. Mark and Kevin's son was born right before Christmas, and because they needed to stay in the country for a few weeks, they stayed with us! We watched nature documentaries, ate a lot of Christmas treats, and got so many baby snuggles! Since I had a c-section, this also meant I had three helpful men around the house postpartum, which I did not complain about at all. We also had family members (theirs and mine) come and visit and make meals, and I got to witness them become Dads right before my eyes. I smile just thinking about it as I write this. It was that full-circle moment I think every surrogate wants to witness, and I am really grateful they allowed me to be a part of it.
That's the thing about surrogacy in Canada: most people want to keep some form of relationship and contact after the birth. While not impossible, it would be rarer to find a surrogate who wanted no contact or involvement, and I think this partly comes down to the altruistic laws in Canada.
What "Altruistic Surrogacy" Actually Means
One thing to understand about altruistic surrogacy in Canada is that altruistic does not mean free. It means you can't pay a fee. More broadly, it means that surrogates are choosing to be surrogates because they want to, not because they can make a career out of it. I would personally argue that any surrogate, paid or not, is still acting altruistically, but in practice, it means that you cannot pay a surrogate or gift her anything disguised as a payment. Instead, she must keep receipts and document expenses related to the pregnancy for you to reimburse to her.
This is typically between $25,000 and $40,000 CAD, plus things like lost wages, counselling, doula, travel, and medical costs. For Intended Parents choosing Canada over another destination, your reimbursements may end up being the same dollar amount as a compensated journey.
Other Advantages of Choosing Canada for Your Surrogacy Journey
There are other advantages for Intended Parents choosing Canada for their journey.
Health care and IVF funding in some provinces: Canadian health insurance covers medical treatments outside of the fertility clinic, including things like ultrasounds, bloodwork, the birth, and any emergency medical care or surgery (like a c-section) for your surrogate. In some cases, your surrogate may have access to specific funding that can be used for IVF.
Access to high-quality newborn care or NICU (although this is out of pocket for international intended parents), and availability to purchase newborn insurance.
Canada's surrogacy community has a strong culture of inclusivity and is pretty tight-knit and supportive. Many surrogates actively seek to support diverse families.
Full Circle
I visited Mark and Kevin and their two boys last year, and again, it felt like no time had passed. They have two of the sweetest, most loving little boys I have ever met, and even though I've only spent a little bit of time with them in person, we jumped right back in. I'm grateful every day that our paths crossed and I got to help them become Dads.
Ariel visiting the family in California years later, with a special connection to the family.
Every family's path looks a little different, but if Canada sounds like the right fit for yours, we'd love to help you figure out what that could look like.
Learn more about our Surrogacy Education, or book a free consultation with a surrogacy expert.
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