Limited / fact-dependent framework

Surrogacy laws in Arkansas

Arkansas has a statute that addresses parentage in certain surrogate-birth situations, but it is not a comprehensive modern gestational-surrogacy code.

What Arkansas Code § 9-10-201 covers

Arkansas Code § 9-10-201 contains parentage rules for children born through artificial insemination, including specific provisions for surrogate mothers. Those rules address who is treated as a parent in defined circumstances.

Birth records

The statute states that for birth-registration purposes the woman giving birth is presumed to be the natural mother and is listed on the original birth certificate, while a substituted birth certificate may be issued upon order of a court of competent jurisdiction. That is different from saying intended parents are automatically listed without court involvement.

Agreement and compensation

The statute should not be read as a comprehensive regulation of gestational-carrier agreements, compensation, insurance, medical autonomy or screening. Those issues require current Arkansas legal review.

What this means for a surrogate

Before signing an agreement or beginning treatment, use independent Arkansas reproductive counsel to confirm how the statute applies to the actual genetic facts, agreement structure, parentage plan and birth-record procedure.

Confirm the legal pathway before you sign.

Use state-specific counsel for the agreement and parentage plan.

Read legal considerations