DUBLIN, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Circle Surrogacy, one of the oldest surrogate parenting agencies in the United States, announces an informational meeting to be held on March 28, 2011 in Dublin. The meeting will give prospective parents an opportunity to hear expert advice about surrogate parenting options, listen to personal stories from parents and a former surrogate, and ask questions about the various aspects-medical, legal, financial-of surrogate parenting.

"Many factors have reinforced the desirability of pursuing surrogacy in the United States for Irish prospective parents," says John Weltman, Circle Surrogacy's president and a widely recognized expert in reproductive law, noting the favorable moral, legal and medical climate for surrogacy in the United States. "We are very knowledgeable of the laws in each country and in some of the most frequent destinations such as Sweden, Italy, Israel, the UK, and here in Ireland, we partner with local organizations and lawyers to provide a complete solution for our clients before and after the birth."

While surrogacy is nearly impossible in Ireland, it is legal for Irish couples and individuals to go through the surrogacy process in the United States and return to Ireland after the birth of their children. In the United States, court decisions have reinforced the rights of intended parents who have pursued surrogacy and no US appeals court has ever ruled in favor of a woman seeking to retain custody of a child to whom she gave birth as a surrogate mother.

Weltman stated that Circle's staff regularly meets with prospective clients for consultations in their own countries, although many still conduct them over the phone or in Boston and New York. The agency leads all intended parents through the logistical, legal and administrative processes involved from day one until they arrive home and gain full custody of their newborns.

Advances in reproductive technology, favorable laws, growing media attention and societal acceptance have contributed to rapid growth of surrogacy in the United States as a parenting alternative for infertile couples, individuals, and the gay community. While many countries worldwide still outlaw or restrict the practice, most states in America permit compensated surrogacy.

"There is a fundamental need for reproduction alternatives like surrogacy and egg donation," says Weltman, "and that need is for a couple, who remain childless, try after try, to be able to share their love with a child of their own. And we can make that happen."