More on Ohio Surrogacy Case

The recent 3-2 decision of the Ohio Supreme Court about surrogacy has already been noted here. The court’s opinion is online here.

The case involved a contract between a surrogate and her husband to relinquish children born as a result of a purchased donor egg inseminated by a man (the other party to the contract) and implanted in the surrogate in exchange for $20,000. Triplets were born and a custody dispute ensued. The majority briefly held “that Ohio does not have an articulated public policy against gestational-surrogacy contracts” so the contract was valid.

The dissenting opinion characterized the contract as “an agreement among unrelated persons for the creation of a child for the payment of money.” It argued that for the contract to be valid, “it would be necessary to legally declare that the children do not have a mother. Such a position is untenable.” The dissent also argued the contract violates state policies against child selling and in favor of parental support of children. The dissent said the contract would “permit parties to such a pact to override and to write out the state’s traditional oversight role.” The opinion concluded with a warning that the majority ruling could create a surrogacy market in Ohio.
posted by William Duncan at 2:12 PM | link

The Bright Side of Global Warming?

How much do the apostles of tolerance hate evangelicals? Enough to celebrate as the bright side of global warming the idea that the American southeast will be destroyed, and to plan to work hard to disenfranchise the refugees that would result. A respectable journalist wrote these things proudly.
posted by maggie at 11:56 AM | link

Malaysia's Highest Court Affirms Muslim Husband’s Right to Seek Shariah Divorce

From "Malaysia's highest court rejects Hindu woman's appeal," The Hindu, December 27, 2007:

Malaysia's highest court on Thursday rejected on technical grounds an appeal by an ethnic Indian Hindu woman to stop her Muslim convert husband from seeking a divorce in the Islamic 'Shariah' court...

[The woman] is not opposed to divorcing her husband but she wants the procedure to take place in a civil court.

The Federal Court on Thursday said that her Muslim convert husband had a right to approach the Shariah courts...

The judgement further said that both civil courts and Shariah courts have equal status in Malaysia...

posted by Imapp Staff at 9:13 AM | link