Assisted Reproduction's Impact on Estate Planning and Administration in Virginia - July 2016

With the availability of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), 曾经只有通过收养才能成为父母的家庭往往能够通过非传统的方式怀上孩子. However, just because you, as a parent, 将使用抗逆转录病毒治疗出生的孩子视为你的孩子，就像你将未使用抗逆转录病毒治疗出生的孩子视为你的孩子一样, Virginia law does not always agree. 这个观点和观察专栏提供了弗吉尼亚州法律如何定义ART引起的家庭关系以及由此对遗产规划和管理的影响的见解.

弗吉尼亚州法典第20-156至165条规定了弗吉尼亚州辅助受孕儿童的地位. In Virginia, “assisted conception” means a pregnancy resulting from any intervening medical technology, whether in vivo or in vitro, which completely or partially replaces sexual intercourse as the means of conception. Such intervening medical technology includes, but is not limited to, 传统的医学和外科治疗以及非性交生殖技术，如供体人工授精, cryopreservation of gametes and embryos, in vitro fertilization, uterine embryo lavage, embryo transfer, gamete intrafallopian tube transfer and low tubal ovum transfer.

For children of assisted conception, the legal answer to the question “Who are my parents?” is determined under these Virginia Code Sections. This determination of parentage will control for purposes of:

1. Intestate succession (i.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 and 201 for the intestate course of descent);

2. Probate law exemptions, allowances and other protections for children in a parent’s estate (e.g. the family allowance under Virginia Code § 64.2-309 which provides that upon the death of an individual domiciled in Virginia, 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. 确定一个孩子或孩子的后代是否有资格作为个人或根据关系确定的一个阶级的成员从任何人那里分享捐赠转移.

However, 必须指出的是，在弗吉尼亚州，在父母一方去世后10个月以上出生的孩子不得因第1条的目的而被承认为该父母的孩子, 2 and 3 above.

General Rule弗吉尼亚州的一般规则规定，通过辅助受孕而产生的孩子的孕母是孩子的母亲，孕母的丈夫是孩子的父亲. A gestational mother is the woman who gives birth to a child, regardless of her genetic relationship to the child. A donor (i.e. an individual, other than a surrogate, (谁提供用于辅助受孕的精子或卵子)不是通过辅助受孕怀孕的孩子的父母，除非捐赠者是怀孕母亲的丈夫.

Death: A child born following insemination of a wife’s ovum using her husband’s sperm, with his consent, is the child of the husband and wife notwithstanding that, during the ten-month period immediately preceding the birth, either party died. However, in Virginia, 由于精子或卵子与另一个配子(定义为精子或卵子)结合而导致胚胎在子宫内植入前死亡的人。, whether or not the other gamete is that of the person’s spouse, 除非(1)植入发生在可以合理地将死亡通知传达给执行手术的医生之前，或(2)该人书面同意在植入之前被执行，否则任何由此产生的孩子的父母不是被执行的吗.

Divorce: Any child resulting from insemination of a wife’s ovum using her husband’s sperm, with his consent, 在孩子出生前的10个月内，尽管夫妻双方中的任何一方提出离婚或婚姻无效，孩子是否仍然存在. 离婚或婚姻无效诉讼的当事人，在其精子或卵子与另一配子结合而产生的胚胎在子宫内着床前提出诉讼, whether or not the other gamete is that of the person’s spouse, 除非(1)植入发生在可以合理地将备案通知传达给执行该程序的医生之前，或(2)该人书面同意成为父母，否则任何由此产生的孩子的父母, whether the writing was executed before or after the implantation.

Surrogacy Contracts: A surrogate means any adult woman who agrees to bear a child carried for intended parents. In Virginia, intended parents means a man and a woman, married to each other, 谁会与代孕者签订协议，根据协议，他们将成为代孕者通过辅助受孕所生的任何孩子的父母，而不考虑准父母之间的遗传关系, the surrogate and the child. 由于弗吉尼亚法律对受赠父母的定义很狭隘，只包括一对结婚的男女，因此讨论弗吉尼亚法律对同性伴侣的明显影响不在本意见和意见的讨论范围之内.

With Court Approval经法院批准代孕合同并根据适用的弗吉尼亚法律颁布命令后, the intended parents are the parents of any resulting child. Intended parents in Virginia means a man and a woman, married to each other, 谁会与代孕者签订协议，根据协议，他们将成为代孕者通过辅助受孕所生的任何孩子的父母，而不考虑准父母之间的遗传关系, the surrogate, and the child. If the court vacates the order approving the surrogacy contract, 那么代孕母亲是孩子的母亲，她的丈夫是孩子的父亲，意向父母只有通过收养才能获得父母的权利.

Without Court Approval: If a surrogacy contract has not been approved by a court in accordance with applicable Virginia law, then the gestational mother is the child’s mother unless the intended mother is a genetic parent, in which case the intended mother is the mother. If either of the intended parents is a genetic parent of the resulting child, the intended father is the child’s father. However, if (1) the surrogate is married; (2) her husband is a party to the surrogacy contract; and (3) the surrogate exercises her right to retain custody and parental rights to the resulting child in accordance with applicable Virginia law, then the surrogate and her husband are the parents. If neither of the intended parents is a genetic parent of the resulting child, the surrogate is the mother and her husband is the child’s father if he is party to the contract; and, in such event, the intended parents may only obtain parental rights through adoption. However, 在签署并提交代理同意书和报告表格后，符合适用的弗吉尼亚州法律, the intended parents are the parents of the child and the surrogate and her husband, if any, shall not be the parents of the child.

If you or a family member has a child born from assisted conception, 您应该与您的遗产规划律师分享这些信息，以确保您的遗产规划文件(如您的遗嘱或可撤销信托)适当地定义了诸如子女和后代等术语，包括通过辅助受孕出生的子女. 每个遗产计划都是独一无二的，每个客户都应该关注本意见和观察专栏中提到的细节，以确保客户拥有一个全面和量身定制的遗产计划.

Pender and Coward attorney, Jessica Booth, assists clients with all aspects of wills, trusts, estate planning and administration. Please contact her with questions at (757) 490-6269 or jbooth@salamzone.com.