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Law of Wills, 2016A

Law of Wills, 2016A

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The Legislature may well choose to clarify the rights and responsibilities <strong>of</strong> parties in a gestational<br />

surrogacy. The most prudent course, prior to legislative action, is to follow the current statutes as<br />

closely as possible while allowing the parties, to the maximum extent possible, the relief requested.<br />

A court order for the pre-birth termination <strong>of</strong> the pregnant defendant’s parental rights is the<br />

equivalent <strong>of</strong> making her subject to a binding agreement to surrender the child and is contrary to<br />

New Jersey statutes and Baby M. Therefore, the gestational mother may surrender the child<br />

seventy-two hours after giving birth, which is forty-eight hours before the birth certificate must be<br />

prepared. If Gina does choose to surrender the infant, and she certifies that she wishes to relinquish<br />

all rights, then the original birth certificate will list the two biological parents, Andrea and Peter, as<br />

the baby’s parents. If Gina changes her mind once the baby is born, she will have a chance to<br />

litigate for parental rights to the child.<br />

The attending physician who delivers Baby A should prepare a Certificate <strong>of</strong> Parentage four days<br />

after the birth <strong>of</strong> the child. This waiting period will allow Gina to surrender her parental right after<br />

seventy-two hours and also allow a birth certificate to be issued within five days <strong>of</strong> birth. After Gina<br />

surrenders any parental rights she might have, the Certificate <strong>of</strong> Parentage shall be completed with<br />

Peter as the legal father and Andrea the legal mother. This solution represents a modification <strong>of</strong> the<br />

agreement between the parties to the least extent necessary to comply with current New Jersey<br />

statutes and the public policy concerns expressed by the Supreme Court in Baby M.<br />

Note and Questions<br />

1. If Gina dies before surrendering her parental rights, would the child be eligible to inherit from<br />

her estate?<br />

2. The Court claims that it is not deciding the issue <strong>of</strong> the parental rights <strong>of</strong> a gestational mother. Is<br />

that true? By deciding that the gestational surrogate has a choice whether or not to surrender her<br />

parental rights, isn’t the Court establishing a parent-child relationship between her and the child?<br />

3. The Court refers to Gina as a gestational mother instead <strong>of</strong> a gestational surrogate. Doesn’t that<br />

fact indicate that the Court is favoring gestation over genetics?<br />

4. Since Gina is not genetically related to the child, should she be able to litigate to have parental<br />

rights over the child?<br />

5. If a client comes to you seeking advice about using a gestational surrogate in this jurisdiction,<br />

what would you recommend?<br />

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages <strong>of</strong> using the birth test to determine maternity?<br />

7. The Court seems reluctant to force the gestational mother to surrender her parental rights.<br />

However, in New Jersey, the parental rights <strong>of</strong> sperm donors are automatically waived at the time<br />

they donate sperm. Does it make sense to be more protective <strong>of</strong> the parental rights <strong>of</strong> a woman with<br />

no genetic connection to the child than <strong>of</strong> the parental rights <strong>of</strong> the man who contributes the<br />

genetic material used to create the child?<br />

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