A new Melbourne dad has become the first single man in Victoria to father a biological child through surrogacy.
Shaun Resnik’s son Eli was born March 22 afterxjmtzyw being carried by friend Carla Pincombe.
Mr Resnik said his journey to solo parenthood began after he found himself single after turning 40.
This prompted him to join local surrogacy Facebook groups where the 44-year-old said he was inundated with “lovely women just wanted to reach out and help”.
Eventually, he was put in touch with both Carla and another woman, Bree, who became his egg donor.
However, the journey was also hallmarked by Australia’s strict surrogacy laws which ban paid surrogacy.
In Victoria, extensive counselling is also required along with proving any potential parent is psychologically, physically and financially capable of raising a child.
“They need to know that your surrogate is going to be well supported emotionally,” Mr Resnik told Star Observer.
“I think that there’s so much more acceptance out there. The outpouring of love from the general public has been amazing.”
Mr Resnik, who came out as gay in his 20s, always knew his journey to parenthood would be “more complex” than it was for most.
“Roundabout my thirties, I realised guys can have kids but I was waiting for Mr Right to come along,” he previously told ABC Radio.
“But, you know, nothing scares a guy off more on a first date than saying, ‘Hey, do you want to have kids?’”
However, despite any setbacks, his eventual goal remained clear.
“I knew I was going to have a family one day. I’ve worked my entire life to get to this point.”
Only one other single man in Australia has been given approval for local surrogacy. He became a father late last year in NSW.
