Parentage and the Modern Family

Family law is reaching a crossroads. Social and technological transformations over the last sixty years continue to challenge traditional notions of marriage and reproduction. Same-sex individuals can now marry, divorce, and reproduce biologically. People can now plan and agree in advance to make babies who will not be raised by one or both of their genetic parents. Traditional marriage as an institution is in decline. Such fundamental changes have required courts and legislatures to grapple with redefining parentage to keep pace with the ever-evolving family unit.