Artificial reproductive technologies have made familiar terms
outdated and inadequate. Supreme Court could clarify parents'
rights later this year with rulings in two gay marriage cases.
In a classic 1960 children's book, a baby bird toddles up to one
critter after another asking, "Are you my mother?" For some
babies today, there's no simple answer — biologically or
legally. Advances in artificial reproductive technologies, mean
a baby could have three "mothers" — the genetic mother, the
birth mother and the intended parent, who may be a woman or a
man. Mother here may not be mother there. Mother now may not be
mother later. Statutes on surrogacy, adoption, divorce and
inheritance vary state by state, court by court, decision by
decision. For non-traditional couples, the patchwork of laws
makes it even more complex. New York allows gay marriage but
forbids surrogacy, while Utah permits surrogacy but bans gay
marriage. In the complex cases of 21st-century family formation,
challenges abound. Courts are struggl