辅助生殖对弗吉尼亚州遗产规划和管理的影响- 2016年7月

随着辅助生殖技术的普及, families who once may not have been able to become parents except through adoption are often able to conceive a child by non-traditional means. 然而, 就因为你, 作为家长, consider a child born by use of ART to be your child in the same way you would consider a child born to you without the use of ART to be your child, 弗吉尼亚州的法律并不总是这样. This Opinions and 观察 column provides insight into how Virginia law defines familial relationships arising from ART and the resulting impact on estate planning and administration.

Sections 20-156 through 165 of the Virginia Code address the status of children of assisted conception 在维吉尼亚州. 在维吉尼亚州, “辅助受孕”是指任何介入的医疗技术导致的怀孕, 无论是体内还是体外, 哪一种完全或部分地代替性交作为受孕的手段. 这种介入医疗技术包括, 但不限于, conventional medical and surgical treatment as well as noncoital reproductive technology such as artificial insemination by donor, 配子和胚胎的低温保存, 体外受精, 子宫胚胎灌洗, 胚胎移植, 配子输卵管内移植和输卵管下卵子移植.

对于辅助受孕的孩子来说，“谁是我的父母??是根据维吉尼亚法典各章节确定的. 这种亲子关系的确定将控制以下目的:

1. 无遗嘱继承(1.e. who are the beneficiaries (heirs at law) of a deceased individual’s estate when he or she dies without a Will; see Virginia Code § 64.2-200和201为无遗嘱下降路线);

2. 遗嘱认证法的豁免、津贴和对父母遗产中的子女的其他保护(例如.g. 弗吉尼亚法典第64条规定的家庭津贴.第2-309条规定在弗吉尼亚州居住的个人死亡后, the deceased individual’s surviving spouse and minor children to whom he or she was obligated to support are entitled to a reasonable money allowance out of the estate for their maintenance during the period of the estate administration); and

3. Determining the eligibility of a child or the child’s descendants to share in a donative transfer from any person as 一个人 or as a member of a class determined by reference to the relationship.

然而, it is important to note that 在维吉尼亚州 a child born more than ten months after the death of a parent shall not be recognized as such parent’s child for purposes of 1, 上述第2和第3条.

一般规则: The general rule 在维吉尼亚州 declares that the gestational mother of a child resulting from the performance of assisted conception is the child’s mother and the husband of the gestational mother is the child’s father. 孕母是指生孩子的妇女, 不管她和孩子的遗传关系如何. 捐赠人(i).e. 一个人, 除了代理人, who contributes the sperm or egg used in assisted conception) is not the parent of a child conceived through assisted conception unless the donor is the husband of the gestational mother.

死亡用丈夫的精子使妻子的卵子受精后所生的孩子, 征得他的同意, 丈夫和妻子所生的孩子是这样吗, 在紧接出生前的十个月内, 双方都死了. 然而, 在维吉尼亚州, any person who dies before in utero implantation of an embryo resulting from the union of his sperm or her ovum with another gamete (defined as a sperm or ovum), 无论另一个配子是否是该人配偶的配子, is not the parent of any resulting child unless (1) implantation occurs before notice of the death can reasonably be communicated to the physician performing the procedure or (2) the person consents to be a parent in writing executed before the implantation.

离婚由妻子的卵子和丈夫的精子受精而生的孩子, 征得他的同意, 丈夫和妻子所生的孩子是这样吗 either party filed for a divorce or annulment 在紧接出生前的十个月内. Any person who is a party to an action for divorce or annulment commenced by filing before in utero implantation of an embryo resulting from the union of his sperm or her ovum with another gamete, 无论另一个配子是否是该人配偶的配子, is not the parent of any resulting child unless (1) implantation occurs before notice of the filing can reasonably be communicated to the physician performing the procedure or (2) the person consents in writing to be a parent, 写入是在植入之前还是之后执行的.

代孕合同代理母亲是指任何成年妇女，她同意为预定的父母怀孩子. 在维吉尼亚州, 意向父母指的是一男一女, 彼此结婚, who enter into an agreement with a surrogate under the terms of which they will be the parents of any child born to 代理 through assisted conception regardless of the genetic relationships between the intended parents, 代孕母亲和孩子. It is outside the scope of this Opinion and Observation to discuss the obvious impact Virginia law has on same-sex couples due to its narrow definition of intended parents to include only a man and a woman 彼此结婚.

经法院批准: After approval of a surrogacy contract by the court and entry of an order in accordance with applicable Virginia law, 受赠父母是任何孩子的父母. 弗吉尼亚的准父母指的是一男一女, 彼此结婚, who enter into an agreement with a surrogate under the terms of which they will be the parents of any child born to 代理 through assisted conception regardless of the genetic relationships between the intended parents, 代理, 孩子呢?. 如果法院撤销批准代孕合同的命令, then 代理 is the mother of the resulting child and her husband is the father and 受赠父母只有通过收养才能获得父母权利.

未经法院批准:根据适用的弗吉尼亚州法律，如果代孕合同没有得到法院的批准, 那么，除非受赠母亲是孩子的亲生母亲，否则她就是孩子的母亲, 在这种情况下，受赠母亲就是孩子的母亲. 如果受赠父母中的任何一方是所生孩子的遗传父母, 准父亲是孩子的父亲. 然而, if (1) 代理 is married; (2) her husband is a party to the surrogacy contract; and (3) 代理 exercises her right to retain custody and parental rights to the resulting child in accordance with applicable Virginia law, 那么代孕妈妈和她的丈夫就是孩子的父母. 如果双方都不是所生孩子的亲生父母, 代理 is the mother and her husband is the child’s father if he is party to the contract; and, 在这种情况下, 受赠父母只有通过收养才能获得父母权利. 然而, after the signing and filing of 代理 consent and report form in conformance with applicable Virginia law, 受赠父母是孩子的父母、代孕母亲和她的丈夫, 如果有任何, 不能做孩子的父母.

如果你或你的家庭成员有一个辅助受孕的孩子, you should share this information with your estate planning attorney in order to make sure that your estate planning documents (such as your Will or Revocable Trust) appropriately define terms such as children and descendants to include children born from assisted conception. Every estate plan is unique and each client deserves personal attention to details such as those addressed in this Opinions and 观察 column to insure that the client has a comprehensive and tailored estate plan.

彭德和科沃德律师事务所 杰西卡·布斯，协助客户处理遗嘱、信托、遗产规划和管理的各个方面. 如有任何问题，请致电(757)490-6269或 jbooth@chinaqinyu.com.