Surrogacy and Church discipline

[Vort]

Are there any issues about Sealing of children to parents when using donor eggs/sperm?

Given that a child born to a woman who is sealed to but divorced from her ex-husband is still considered BIC, I'd say there are probably no issues with sperm donors. I suspect the same is true with egg donors, though that opens up difficult legalistic questions. In such a scenario, the woman who carries another couple's baby and her husband (or whoever she's sealed to) would be the couple to whom the baby is sealed (BIC). That doesn't seem right.

[Just_A_Guy]

I would differ from Vort slightly in my speculation:  I think once the proper legalities were finalized, you just seal the child to the legal parents.

[The Folk Prophet]

I would differ from Vort slightly in my speculation:  I think once the proper legalities were finalized, you just seal the child to the legal parents.

 

I felt like adding a snarky comment along the lines of, "But what if the egg is from an ape and science has successfully learned to blend ape and humans in the fertility process...then who do you seal the resultant child to?" but since the snarkiness would be an inside joke of sorts based on another thread, I decided not to. Then I decided to post that I'd decided not to and sneak the snarkiness in anyway via this clever not-a-question question.

[Just_A_Guy]

As Wesley told Vizzini,

 

Clearly, you have a dizzying intellect.

 

:)

[Vort]

That's just so...meta...

[Guest]

But, but, but... what if the baby is Jake Sully and Neytiri's baby?

[Blackmarch]

But, but, but... what if the baby is Jake Sully and Neytiri's baby?

lol.

in all seriousness that would be more like the 3 parent child having a kid...

[char713]

I don't know how it is handled elsewhere in the world, or even in other states for sure.. but here in Utah the legality of parenthood/adoption etc is handled before the egg or embryo is placed in the mother's body. Just as a sperm donor waives his legal rights of paternity when he deposits at a sperm bank, the paperwork is all taken care of before hand, and there is often a waiting period between the initial deposit or donation, and when the hopeful parent(s) can take ownership of the genetic material of whatever type. 

[char713]

But I am still wondering about the question of born in covenant versus conceived in covenant. Born or conceived, the question of a divorced woman's child is covered either way. Unless we're saying the divorce came during her pregnancy.. in which case that seems to prove that conception is the rule. But a child born to a couple with only one genetically related parent, it seems like neither version of the rule would apply, because one parent is essentially an adopting that child, just as if it were a child from their spouse's previous relationship. 

Edited March 23, 2015 by char713

[Just_A_Guy]

But a child born to a couple with only one genetically related parent, it seems like neither version of the rule would apply, because one parent is essentially an adopting that child, just as if it were a child from their spouse's previous relationship. 

 

Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1, Section 3.6.2: 

 

Children who are born in the covenant

 

Children who are born after their mother has been sealed to a husband in a temple are born in the covenant of that sealing.  They do not need to receive the ordinance of sealing to parents.  Being born in the covenant entitles children to an eternal parentage, depending on their faithfulness.

 

If a woman who has been sealed to a former husband remarries, the children of her later marriage are born in the covenant of the first marriage unless they were born after the sealing was cancelled or after it was revoked due to excommunication or name removal.

 

. . . .

 

Children Conceived by Artificial Insemination or In Vitro Fertilization

 

Children conceived by artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization re born in the covenant if their parents are already sealed.  If the children are born before their parents are sealed, they may be sealed to their parents after their parents are sealed to each other.

 

If a child was born to a surrogate mother, the stake president refers the matter to the Office of the First Presidency.

[classylady]

Church Handbook of Instructions, Book 1, Section 3.6.2: 

 

Children who are born in the covenant

 

Children who are born after their mother has been sealed to a husband in a temple are born in the covenant of that sealing.  They do not need to receive the ordinance of sealing to parents.  Being born in the covenant entitles children to an eternal parentage, depending on their faithfulness.

 

If a woman who has been sealed to a former husband remarries, the children of her later marriage are born in the covenant of the first marriage unless they were born after the sealing was cancelled or after it was revoked due to excommunication or name removal.

 

. . . .

 

Children Conceived by Artificial Insemination or In Vitro Fertilization

 

Children conceived by artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization re born in the covenant if their parents are already sealed.  If the children are born before their parents are sealed, they may be sealed to their parents after their parents are sealed to each other.

 

If a child was born to a surrogate mother, the stake president refers the matter to the Office of the First Presidency.

 

Thank you JAG.

 

Now, the question is what will the First Presidency say?  It sounds like they look at it case-by-case in surrogacy matters.