Legislative Milestone in Rhode Island’s Surrogacy Landscape:
The state's openness to surrogacy is evident in its consistent legal treatment across cases.
Surrogacy Contracts
The enforceability of surrogacy contracts in Rhode Island is determined on a case-by-case basis by the Chief Judge. This underscores the importance of thorough legal representation to ensure that surrogacy agreements meet the judicial standards for enforceability.
Parental Rights
Rhode Island's approach to parentage orders is notably inclusive, granting pre-birth parentage declarations to married couples, unmarried couples, and single individuals, regardless of genetic connection to the baby. This consistency in granting parentage orders reflects the state's supportive stance towards all forms of family building through surrogacy.
Legal Rights of Surrogates:
All the rights and obligations of a Surrogate are listed in the agreement.
Who Can Benefit from Surrogacy in RI?
Single individuals
Heterosexual couples
Same-sex couples
Surrogacy Environment in Rhode Island:
Rhode Island's unique judicial approach to surrogacy, characterized by a single judge overseeing all cases, ensures a level of consistency and predictability rare in the landscape of surrogacy law in the United States.
Advantages of Surrogacy in RI
In Rhode Island, while explicit surrogacy legislation is absent, a surrogacy-friendly climate prevails, supported by judicial precedents and the consistent review of surrogacy cases by the Chief Judge of Family Court in Providence. This unique approach ensures that surrogacy arrangements are navigated with a degree of predictability and legal safety for both Intended Parents and Surrogates.
