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Chicago Daily Law Bulletin - The City's No. 1 Source for the Law Profession

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Serving the cityʹs law profession since 1854

February 4, 2014

Modern families, outdated state laws
By Adam J. Glazer 
Adam J. Glazer is a partner at Schoenberg, Finkel, Newman & Rosenberg LLC and an adjunct professor at 
Northwestern University School of Law. A general service firm, Schoenberg, Finkel dates back about 60 years in 
Chicago. Glazer maintains a broad commercial litigation practice with an emphasis on preventing, and if 
necessary, litigating business disputes.

Law school finals? The semester barely started. Yet it is never too early to begin constructing the contemporary 
law school final exam question.
Follow the tried‐and‐true law school exam question formula taken from classes mixing law and social policy. 
Begin with a hot topic, add some controversial complications, perhaps throw in a little unregulated Internet 
marketing, include the requisite state statute with outdated language and set up a counterintuitive result.
This formula may lead to, say, the same‐sex couple who, wanting a child together, places an ad on Craigslist. 
When “Wayne,” a potential sperm donor, answers the ad, “Jill” and her partner “Allison,” a committed couple from 
the state of Wigmore, present him with a contract downloaded from the Internet.
Unlike many Internet forms, this one proves relatively clear. All sign off that the donor will have neither the 
right nor the responsibility to raise any resulting children, including no custody or visitation rights, and specifically 
acknowledge that Wayne “will have no paternal rights that are traditionally vested in the biological father of a 
child.”
The couple then successfully inseminates Jill at the couple’s home without difficulty, leading to baby “Mary’s” 
birth. All seems well, so it’s time to add the exam question wrinkles.
Two months after Mary’s birth, Jill applies to the Wigmore Department of Children and Families (DCF) for 
food, cash and medical assistance for the baby. Jill identifies Mary’s father on the application as “donor.”
In response to this disclosure, the DCF requests a copy of the sperm donor contract. Reluctant to bring Wayne 
back into the family picture, Jill responds it is unavailable. In another DCF application 17 months later, she will 
amend the description of Mary’s father to “anonymous sperm donor.”
The DCF cuts off aid to Jill and Mary when it doesn’t receive the requested contract, forcing Jill to make it 
available. Upon seeing that all parties signed the contract and the donor is not actually anonymous, DCF asserts 
Wayne is on the hook for child support under Wigmore law. Now, the exam question is rolling.
Jill suddenly finds herself in court where DCF, seeking to have Wayne adjudicated as the father, has filed a 
petition to determine paternity. Although Jill, Allison and Wayne all agreed in their downloaded contract that 
Wayne would not be responsible for Mary’s upbringing, DCF relies on the Wigmore Parentage Act, which reads in 
part:

2/7/2014
Chicago Daily Law Bulletin - The City's No. 1 Source for the Law Profession

Page 2 of 3

“The donor of semen provided to a licensed physician for use in artificial insemination of a woman, other than 
the donor’s wife, is treated in law as if he were not the birth father of a child thereby conceived.”
By failing to comply with the statutory requirement to donate semen only to a physician, the DCF argues, Jill, 
Allison and Wayne diverged from the only path provided by the Wigmore legislature for an artificial insemination 
procedure that vests all parties with legal protection from a later claim of paternity. The response argument is made 
that the parties entered into an unambiguous contract clearly indicating all parties’ intent that Wayne have no rights 
or responsibilities for Mary.
The irksome exam question might conclude by calling for consideration of how the court should rule on the 
DCF’s petition in light of the parties’ contract, the applicable statute and any relevant public policy concerns.
While these facts may make for an intriguing final exam, they are all too real. Simply substitute “Kansas” for 
“Wigmore.” This precise scenario was considered by the Shawnee County district court in Kansas ex rel. Secretary, 
Department for Children and Families v. W.M., No. 12 D 2686 (Jan. 22, 2014).
The court noted that the Uniform Parentage Act, on which Kansas’ parentage act is based, was modernized in 
2000 and 2002 to clarify parentage issues involving children born from artificial insemination. Physician 
involvement may have been appropriate decades ago, but the 21st century version of the act recognized modern 
advances. Kansas, however, did not adopt the revisions “for reasons known only to the legislature.”
Stuck with an unambiguous state law dating to 1973, the year the Sears (now Willis) Tower was completed, 
Richard Nixon began his second term and the Miami Dolphins completed the NFL’s only perfect season, the court 
had no choice but to uphold its antiquated requirement that a physician participate in an artificial insemination for it 
to divest the donor of his parental responsibilities.
Under Kansas law, the court had to ignore the parties’ non‐paternity agreement, and in an apparent case of first 
impression, ruled the contract comprised an unauthorized attempt to circumvent Wayne’s parental obligations. 
Wayne’s status as the birth father was undiminished by the parties’ uncontested contractual agreement that he 
would not be held responsible for Mary.
The state’s interest in recovering the $6,000 in benefits it provided to Mary, as well as holding Wayne 
responsible for future child support obligations, was deemed paramount.
Interestingly, Wayne could have avoided liability in neighboring Oklahoma, where the modern version of the 
Uniform Parentage Act was adopted. Not so in Illinois, however. The Illinois Parentage Act, 750 ILCS 40/3, remains 
just as mired as the Kansas version in the world as it existed in 1973.
While legislation has been pending for one year in the Illinois House to repeal the current Illinois statute and 
replace it with a dramatically revamped approach, the proposed House Bill 1243 would surprisingly maintain this 
little‐noticed, but highly outdated, requirement that the semen donation be made to a licensed physician.
Whether this issue is considered by law students or judges, the dilemma surrounding Mary and her consenting,
adult parents in Kansas (and Illinois) proves quite contrary to basic fairness principles and evolving views of 
families.
Forcing child support obligations upon a sperm donor who all parties agreed would have no such 
responsibilities also vividly demonstrates the need for law to keep pace with the times.
 
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WARRANTED as to quality, accuracy or completeness, but is believed to be accurate at the time of compilation. Websites for other 

2/7/2014
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Modern families, outdated state laws

  • 1. Chicago Daily Law Bulletin - The City's No. 1 Source for the Law Profession Page 1 of 3   Serving the cityʹs law profession since 1854 February 4, 2014 Modern families, outdated state laws By Adam J. Glazer  Adam J. Glazer is a partner at Schoenberg, Finkel, Newman & Rosenberg LLC and an adjunct professor at  Northwestern University School of Law. A general service firm, Schoenberg, Finkel dates back about 60 years in  Chicago. Glazer maintains a broad commercial litigation practice with an emphasis on preventing, and if  necessary, litigating business disputes. Law school finals? The semester barely started. Yet it is never too early to begin constructing the contemporary  law school final exam question. Follow the tried‐and‐true law school exam question formula taken from classes mixing law and social policy.  Begin with a hot topic, add some controversial complications, perhaps throw in a little unregulated Internet  marketing, include the requisite state statute with outdated language and set up a counterintuitive result. This formula may lead to, say, the same‐sex couple who, wanting a child together, places an ad on Craigslist.  When “Wayne,” a potential sperm donor, answers the ad, “Jill” and her partner “Allison,” a committed couple from  the state of Wigmore, present him with a contract downloaded from the Internet. Unlike many Internet forms, this one proves relatively clear. All sign off that the donor will have neither the  right nor the responsibility to raise any resulting children, including no custody or visitation rights, and specifically  acknowledge that Wayne “will have no paternal rights that are traditionally vested in the biological father of a  child.” The couple then successfully inseminates Jill at the couple’s home without difficulty, leading to baby “Mary’s”  birth. All seems well, so it’s time to add the exam question wrinkles. Two months after Mary’s birth, Jill applies to the Wigmore Department of Children and Families (DCF) for  food, cash and medical assistance for the baby. Jill identifies Mary’s father on the application as “donor.” In response to this disclosure, the DCF requests a copy of the sperm donor contract. Reluctant to bring Wayne  back into the family picture, Jill responds it is unavailable. In another DCF application 17 months later, she will  amend the description of Mary’s father to “anonymous sperm donor.” The DCF cuts off aid to Jill and Mary when it doesn’t receive the requested contract, forcing Jill to make it  available. Upon seeing that all parties signed the contract and the donor is not actually anonymous, DCF asserts  Wayne is on the hook for child support under Wigmore law. Now, the exam question is rolling. Jill suddenly finds herself in court where DCF, seeking to have Wayne adjudicated as the father, has filed a  petition to determine paternity. Although Jill, Allison and Wayne all agreed in their downloaded contract that  Wayne would not be responsible for Mary’s upbringing, DCF relies on the Wigmore Parentage Act, which reads in  part: 2/7/2014
  • 2. Chicago Daily Law Bulletin - The City's No. 1 Source for the Law Profession Page 2 of 3 “The donor of semen provided to a licensed physician for use in artificial insemination of a woman, other than  the donor’s wife, is treated in law as if he were not the birth father of a child thereby conceived.” By failing to comply with the statutory requirement to donate semen only to a physician, the DCF argues, Jill,  Allison and Wayne diverged from the only path provided by the Wigmore legislature for an artificial insemination  procedure that vests all parties with legal protection from a later claim of paternity. The response argument is made  that the parties entered into an unambiguous contract clearly indicating all parties’ intent that Wayne have no rights  or responsibilities for Mary. The irksome exam question might conclude by calling for consideration of how the court should rule on the  DCF’s petition in light of the parties’ contract, the applicable statute and any relevant public policy concerns. While these facts may make for an intriguing final exam, they are all too real. Simply substitute “Kansas” for  “Wigmore.” This precise scenario was considered by the Shawnee County district court in Kansas ex rel. Secretary,  Department for Children and Families v. W.M., No. 12 D 2686 (Jan. 22, 2014). The court noted that the Uniform Parentage Act, on which Kansas’ parentage act is based, was modernized in  2000 and 2002 to clarify parentage issues involving children born from artificial insemination. Physician  involvement may have been appropriate decades ago, but the 21st century version of the act recognized modern  advances. Kansas, however, did not adopt the revisions “for reasons known only to the legislature.” Stuck with an unambiguous state law dating to 1973, the year the Sears (now Willis) Tower was completed,  Richard Nixon began his second term and the Miami Dolphins completed the NFL’s only perfect season, the court  had no choice but to uphold its antiquated requirement that a physician participate in an artificial insemination for it  to divest the donor of his parental responsibilities. Under Kansas law, the court had to ignore the parties’ non‐paternity agreement, and in an apparent case of first  impression, ruled the contract comprised an unauthorized attempt to circumvent Wayne’s parental obligations.  Wayne’s status as the birth father was undiminished by the parties’ uncontested contractual agreement that he  would not be held responsible for Mary. The state’s interest in recovering the $6,000 in benefits it provided to Mary, as well as holding Wayne  responsible for future child support obligations, was deemed paramount. Interestingly, Wayne could have avoided liability in neighboring Oklahoma, where the modern version of the  Uniform Parentage Act was adopted. Not so in Illinois, however. The Illinois Parentage Act, 750 ILCS 40/3, remains  just as mired as the Kansas version in the world as it existed in 1973. While legislation has been pending for one year in the Illinois House to repeal the current Illinois statute and  replace it with a dramatically revamped approach, the proposed House Bill 1243 would surprisingly maintain this  little‐noticed, but highly outdated, requirement that the semen donation be made to a licensed physician. Whether this issue is considered by law students or judges, the dilemma surrounding Mary and her consenting, adult parents in Kansas (and Illinois) proves quite contrary to basic fairness principles and evolving views of  families. Forcing child support obligations upon a sperm donor who all parties agreed would have no such  responsibilities also vividly demonstrates the need for law to keep pace with the times.   ©2014 by Law Bulletin Publishing Company. Content on this site is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The  copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, or retransmitting of any copyright‐protected material. The content is NOT  WARRANTED as to quality, accuracy or completeness, but is believed to be accurate at the time of compilation. Websites for other  2/7/2014
  • 3. Chicago Daily Law Bulletin - The City's No. 1 Source for the Law Profession Page 3 of 3 organizations are referenced at this site; however, the Law Bulletin does not endorse or imply endorsement as to the content of these  websites. By using this site you agree to the Terms, Conditions and Disclaimer. Law Bulletin Publishing Company values its  customers and has a Privacy Policy for users of this website. 2/7/2014