heARTbeat

Despite what you may have heard, the law regarding U.S. citizenship based on place of birth is well settled.  U.S. citizenship does not always happen automatically for children born in other countries. However, children who are born in the United States are automatically granted citizenship in accordance with the 14th amendment.  These facts are true regardless of the citizenship and legal status … [Read more...] about So, What IS the Connection Between Immigration and Adoption?

When an adoption is finalized the child’s birth certificate is revised to reflect the names of the adoptive parents, and whether adult adoptees should have access to their original birth records has been debated for many years. In the past, original birth records were sealed, purportedly to protect the privacy of birth parents and prevent unwanted contact.  In recent years, states have begun to … [Read more...] about Should Adoptees Have Access to Original Birth Certificates? The Debate Continues

A birth certificate is used for travel, passport, proof of citizenship, social security, driver’s license, school registration, personal identification, entitlement to death benefits, child support, health insurance, student registration, conduct financial transactions for a minor child, verifying child entitlement to parent’s pension or other retirement benefits, eligibility as beneficiary of … [Read more...] about Why is Correcting the Birth Certificate Important?

Each year, we set aside three months to highlight the needs of children who are at risk of harm and of children who are not in the care of their birth parents.  These special months address child abuse prevention in April, foster care in May, and adoption in November. The children, however, seem to get lost in the reams of rhetoric that are published online and in print as the issues surrounding … [Read more...] about The Bottom Turtle

There has been much press, and an opinion editorial in today’s New York Times, regarding embryonic custody after a couple has separated, and whether one intended parent has the right to procreate using embryos from a former relationship. In Pennsylvania, disposition of genetic material (i.e. sperm, eggs, and embryos) is an increasingly common, but unsettled area of family law.  In the precedent … [Read more...] about In Pennsylvania, Procreation with Frozen Embryos May Be Possible for Intended Parent After the Relationship Ends

In recognition of National Infertility Week (April 19-25), KingSpry’s Adoption/ART Law Practice Group walks us through some of the options available to those wishing to build their families.  The PA Adoption Act has allowed individuals to adopt children and establish parentage by adoptions or other means such as Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and Surrogacy. Traditional Surrogacy is the … [Read more...] about The ART of Surrogacy and Surrogacy Agreements