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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | November 29, 2023 02:21 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Benjamin V. Sanchez and Rep. Dan L. Miller |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Uniform Parentage Act |
| Adoption and parenting laws in Pennsylvania are not only out of date, but they do also not reflect the increasing changes to parenting relationships. The invention and increasing use of assisted reproduction techniques, such as in vitro fertilization and surrogacy since the 1980s are not specifically addressed in Pennsylvania law. This legal gap leaves family courts to rule on important family decisions which can add painful uncertainty in starting a family. That is why we are putting forward legislation that would help to clarify these issues so that courts have a clear and updated legal framework to ensure that children and their parents will be provided with their full rights in a predictable manner. Since 1973, many states have enacted the Uniform Parenting Act, which sets basic rules, rights, and legal protections for parenthood. The non-partisan Uniform Laws Commission has repeatedly updated the Act with clarifications such as surrogacy, single parenthood, and gay marriage have become more common. Decisions made by family courts can have long-term consequences for children in Pennsylvania, affecting everything from who can sign off on school permission slips to ensuring that a child can inherit from their parents to who is on their birth certificate. Families deserve to plan for their future knowing that their choices will be respected and protected in other states the same way they are in Pennsylvania. Passing the Uniform Parenting Act will help to provide that clarity and those protections to all Pennsylvanians. Please join us in sponsoring this important legislation. |
Introduced as HB1961