Commercial surrogacy exploits women, opponents say
OLYMPIA, Washington (BP) -- The state of Washington last week legalized commercial surrogacy. Opponents argued the measure exploits women and children by commodifying the womb, but advocates in February successfully pushed the bill through the state House and Senate by narrow margins. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed it into law on March 6. The measure updates the Uniform Parentage Act that governs how legal parent-child relationships are established or challenged. The law previously prohibited surrogacy contracts that included compensation.
The end of international adoption?
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (BP) -- New regulations and fees announced by the U.S. State Department in February could spell the end of intercountry adoptions in the United States, according to adoption advocates. The changes, which went into effect Feb. 15, include a new $500 monitoring and oversight fee for adoptive families, as well as an increase in the cost of accreditation for adoption agencies. Most agencies, or adoption service providers (ASPs), believe their costs to attain accreditation every four years will triple under the new schedule of fees.
Parents lose custody of transgender teen
CINCINNATI, Ohio (BP) -- An Ohio couple on Friday (Feb. 16) lost permanent custody of their teenage daughter because they didn't want her to undergo sex-change treatment. Cincinnati-area Juvenile Court Judge Sylvia Hendon removed the girl from her parents' custody and turned her over to her maternal grandparents, who support the 17-year-old's desire to identify as a boy. The teen moved in with her grandparents early last year. The names of the girl and her parents and grandparents are sealed by court order.
