Top Arizona court rules frozen embryos in breakup must be donated

U.S. Supreme Court News

The Arizona Supreme Court released a decision Thursday in a case that determined if a woman can use her frozen embryos to have a baby even if her ex-husband disagrees.

A trial court had ruled against Torres, saying the contract she and her then-boyfriend had signed in 2014 clearly said both parties must agree to implantation in the event of a separation or divorce. Torres had an aggressive cancer and wanted to preserve her ability to have children after treatment.

The state Court of Appeals overturned that ruling in a 2-1 decision last March. The court held that the contract was unclear and that Torres’ interests in having a child outweighed John Terrell’s interest in not becoming a father who could be forced to pay child support.

The Arizona Legislature changed the law in 2018 in response to Torres’ case. The law now allows a former spouse to use the embryos against their former partner’s wishes, but relieves the ex-spouse of parental responsibilities like child support.

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Rosin Steinhagen Mendel is a law firm dedicated to serving our clients in New York City, the surrounding counties in southern New York State, and in New Jersey, in the areas of adoption, foster care litigation, and family law.

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