2nd September 2013 | by MFC Team
Father becomes one of a growing trend of single men to have a child via a surrogate
Louis DeFilippi, a biochemist from Chicago, always hoped to one day become a father. However, this dream began to fade after his second marriage dissolved when he was in his 50s. Mr. DeFilippi felt it was unlikely that he’d meet a woman willing to become a parent with him at his age, and he assumed that adoption agencies would not consider him a suitable candidate. Not being one to give up on something as important as becoming a parent he began an “unusual” quest to become a father by using a surrogate to carry his child. In Mr. DeFilippi words,“I decided to keep my life moving forward. I didn’t want my life to end at that point.”
Despite the costs involved, he believed that surrogacy was the only option for him. For that reason, he used an egg donated by an anonymous woman, which was fertilized with his sperm, and implanted in a surrogate. The surrogate became pregnant after one round of IVF and gave birth to Mr. DeFilippi’s daughter, Anna.
Not everyone was supportive of his decision to become a sole support father especially at his age, but he was strong in his desire to father a child and says he has absolutely no regrets. Although it is more common for single women to have a child on their own through the use of donor sperm, Mr. DeFilippi’s story is indicative of a growing trend of men without partners, who turn to surrogacy to fulfill their desire to become a father.
Surrogacy is generally not covered under health insurance plans. Costs and regulations differ across countries. Learn more about surrogacy here.
Learn more about single parenthood here.
Read more about Mr. DeFilippi’s story here.
Read more about men who chose to become single parents here.
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