Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Marriage a Legal Requirement of Motherhood in Indiana
The State of Indiana proposes that a woman in Indiana seeking to become a mother through assisted reproduction therapy such as in vitro fertilization, sperm donation, and egg donation, must be married (presumably to a man). The draft legislation can be read here. In addition to being married, potential parents must be state certified. This certification is obtained thru a successful state assessment of many things including: intended parent "values," "education," and "personality, including the strengths and weaknesses of each intended parent." A clue as to what will count as a personality strength or weakness may be gleaned from the following other requirement, namely, a "description of the family lifestyle of the intended parents, to include a description of individual participation in faith-based or church activities." I recommend reading the following article, "The Crime of 'Unauthorized Reproduction'," by Laura McPhee that is in draft form here.
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The power of blogging: I guess the office was inundated by thousands of emails and calls.
Assisted-reproduction bill dropped
By Mary Beth Schneider
mary.beth.schneider@indystar.com
A controversial proposed bill to prohibit gays, lesbians and single people from using medical procedures to produce a child has been dropped by its legislative sponsor.
State Sen. Patricia Miller, R-Indianapolis, issued a one-sentence statement Wednesday saying: "The issue has become more complex than anticipated and will be withdrawn from consideration by the Health Finance Commission."
Miller said later that the issue of regulating assisted reproduction, just as the state regulates adoption, is multifaceted. She said there was not enough time for the committee -- a panel of lawmakers that meets when the Indiana General Assembly is not in session to discuss possible legislation -- to work through all of the issues involved by its next meeting Oct. 20.
Miller had planned to ask the committee to vote at that meeting on whether to recommend the proposed bill to the full legislature when it meets in January.
Under her proposal, couples who needed assistance to become pregnant -- such as through intrauterine insemination; the use of donor eggs, embryos and sperm; in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer; or other medical means -- would have had to be married to each other.
In addition, married couples who needed donor sperm and eggs to become pregnant would have been required to go through the same rigorous assessment of their fitness to be parents as do people who adopt a child.
The proposal had drawn fire from the Indiana Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood of Indiana.
Call Star reporter Mary Beth Schneider at (317) 444-2772.
Copyright 2005 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
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