by Michael Foust, posted Thursday, May 28, 2009 (15 years ago)
ATLANTA (BP)--The nation's first law governing the adoption of embryos is set to take effect in Georgia after being passed by the legislature and signed by the governor.
The "Option of Adoption Act," which will go into effect July 1, will provide safeguards for both parties involved in an embryo adoption, which is a unique form of adoption in which a couple -- often an infertile one -- adopts one or more surplus embryos from a couple who has undergone in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
Embryo adoption allows the adopting mother to experience pregnancy and has been promoted by pro-lifers for years but, until now, has not been governed by the laws of any state. Significantly, the Georgia bill amends Georgia's adoption laws to make clear that embryo adoption in fact is a form of adoption. The law also allows adoptive parents to file in court for a final order of adoption (for the child who is born as the result of the embryo adoption), which supporters of the new law say clarifies that the adopting parents are eligible for claiming some but not all of their expenses for the federal adoption tax credit, which this year is more than $11,000.
Although embryo adoption tends to be cheaper than traditional adoption it nevertheless can still cost several thousands of dollars.
Couples who undergo an embryo adoption in a state without such a law as Georgia's must sign private legal contracts that treat the embryo as property. The new Georgia law defines an embryo as "an individualized fertilized ovum of the human species from the single-cell stage to eight-week development."
The law has the support of the nation's embryo adoption programs, including Nightlight Christian Adoptions, which runs the nation's oldest embryo adoption program -- the Snowflakes program. Read More
