On August 4, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reprimanded Dr. John Zhang, CEO Of New Hope Fertility Clinic in New York, for marketing his controversial “three-parent baby” technique. Dr. Zhang’s procedure, still deemed experimental, combines the DNA of three individuals into a single embryo by using a technique called nuclear transfer. Humans carry DNA in two different places: … [Read more...] about FDA Directs New York Doctor to Stop Marketing “Three-Parent Baby” Procedure
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Sperm Donor Agreement and Adoption Decree May Be Necessary to Ensure Donor’s Parental Rights Are Terminated
As the law varies from state to state, the definition of legal parentage is applied differently, which may impact how the law applies to known donors. In Pennsylvania, a genetic link to a child can be a determining factor in parentage and may require legal action to ensure legal parentage to avoid unexpected consequences of the donation. As the birth certificate is only an administrative … [Read more...] about Sperm Donor Agreement and Adoption Decree May Be Necessary to Ensure Donor’s Parental Rights Are Terminated
Text Messages Will Not Do: On the Necessity of a Formal Sperm Donor Agreement
On June 1, the Superior Court quashed an appeal in which a child's mother sought to block the custody rights of the child's biological father (J.A.F.). In 2014, a woman and her husband wished to have a child but needed a sperm donor to do so. Lacking the financial resources to obtain the services of a sperm bank, they sought a sperm donor among friends and co-workers. J.A.F. volunteered. The … [Read more...] about Text Messages Will Not Do: On the Necessity of a Formal Sperm Donor Agreement
Foster Care Affects All of Us
Since 1988, May has been identified as National Foster Care Month. The goal of this designation is to recognize the work of foster families, social workers and agencies, as well as to bring attention to the needs of children residing in foster care. The goal of this article is to identify why and how the community needs to respond to these issues. Recent headlines have highlighted the increasing … [Read more...] about Foster Care Affects All of Us
Request for Foster Care Maintenance Payments May Be Headed to the United States Supreme Court
As National Foster Care Month kicks off, a request for foster care maintenance payments from a kinship care provider in Kentucky may be headed to the United States Supreme Court. Previously, the Supreme Court held that foster care payments must be made to all foster care providers, regardless whether they are “regular” or kinship foster homes. It appears that many states nonetheless refuse to … [Read more...] about Request for Foster Care Maintenance Payments May Be Headed to the United States Supreme Court
What Are The Legal and Ethical Considerations of Egg Cryopreservation?
The facilities that provide egg cryopreservation services are relatively mainstream IVF clinics or private agencies, and uniformly are members of the Society for Assistive Reproductive Technology (SART). A woman giving her informed consent to egg freezing needs legal advice on issues such as medical procedural risks, disposition of eggs in case of incapacity or death, medical risks to the child … [Read more...] about What Are The Legal and Ethical Considerations of Egg Cryopreservation?
