Why having children can be expensive for same-sex couples

While the dream of marriage equality for same-sex couples is a reality, there are some areas where a same-sex couple encounters greater difficulties than heterosexual couples. One of these areas is having children. It is often more expensive for same-sex couples to have children, and there are a number of reasons why.

The Motley Fool explains the kinds of expenses same-sex couples face when it comes to having children. While it may be possible to avoid some of these high costs, they are often an inevitable part of the process.

The costs of having children

Some same-sex spouses have children through a surrogate. To accomplish this, they need to create an embryo that a doctor can implant in the surrogate mother. This will necessitate costs related to fertility treatments and surrogacy. As an alternative to surrogacy, some same-sex couples adopt a child. Adoption can also require a lot of time and money.

These steps are not always predictable, either. Complications during fertility treatments and surrogacy can result in higher medical bills. Adoptions can also encounter difficulties and delays. As a result, planning for these events is often difficult.

The costs of gaining parental recognition

Some LGBT+ individuals have already had children during their single lives or in a relationship like a domestic partnership or a civil union. However, now they wish to marry. While this should be a happy occasion, some same-sex couples face the problem of the state not recognizing them as parents of their children.

As a result, even a newly married same-sex couple must take extra steps and spend money so that their home state will deem them the legal guardians of their children. They may have to formally adopt their children to become legally recognized parents. This does not count the different ways North Carolina law can make it complicated for same-sex couples to have children.