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Micah Nerio had known since his early 30s that he wanted to be a father, even if he did not have a partner. He spent a decade saving up to pursue surrogacy, an expensive process where he would create embryos with his sperm and a donor’s eggs to transfer to a woman who would carry the pregnancy.
Eventually, Mr. Nerio, now 40, selected a surrogate, who is due to give birth to his baby next month. Since 2022, he has sent over $118,000 to the agency that found his surrogate — money that went into an account to cover her medical bills, monthly compensation and other costs through the end of the pregnancy.
About a third of that money disappeared on Friday when the agency, Surro Connections, closed without warning. Mr. Nerio received a brief email stating that the business, which had operated for 13 years, had “no ability” to return clients’ funds. He had no way to retrieve the $44,000 left in his account with the agency, which was to be used to pay his surrogate’s remaining expenses.
Surro Connections, based in Portland, Ore., was, until this month, a well-regarded surrogacy agency with clients from around the world. Now, many have lost tens of thousands of dollars, and their surrogates are in the middle of pregnancies.
In May 2024, the leadership of Men Having Babies became aware that Surro held patient money in-house. The organization advised Ms. Hall-Greenberg that she would need to start using a third-party escrow accounts if she wanted to remain on the group’s council of industry advisers, said Mr. Poole-Dayan, the group’s president.
Ms. Hall-Greenberg declined, he said, and was removed from the advisory council last June.
Some surrogacy agencies have begun offering to waive administrative fees, which can cost thousands of dollars, to Surro clients who transfer their contracts. But the parents are still responsible for their surrogate’s medical bills and compensation, which make up the bulk of expenses.
Over the weekend, Mr. Nerio began working with one of those companies. He is excited for his child’s birth but angry at the betrayal he experienced. He will tap into his savings to cover his losses.
“At night, I’m staring at the ceiling thinking, Is $44,000 really gone?” he said. “Hopefully it will sting a little less once I’m holding a baby in my arms.”
[Ed: Oh dear – imagine losing money for doing something completely unconscionable! Are we meant to feel sorry for them? If there were justice these men would be locked up and all these agencies would go broke.]
A single man wanting his right to a child.
This is unbelivable.