ORCID
Noble: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4973-5569
Degree
Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Major(s)
Political Science, Economics
Document Type
Immediate Open Access
Abstract
This paper proposes new criteria for defining U.S. states as surrogacy-friendly. It exclusively considers gestational surrogacy and domestic intended parents. It provides an overview of the surrogacy laws in each state and Washington D.C., and classifies them by the newly proposed criteria. Existing definitions of surrogacy-friendly do not often provide detailed legal distinctions between the states. The proposed criteria consider whether or not a state has express surrogacy laws and if the intended parents’ sexual orientation, marital status, or genetic relationship to the child are limiting factors in their ability to obtain parentage orders. The criteria depend on the legal security and accessibility of surrogacy in each state with the intention of serving as a tool for lawmakers looking to assess or revise surrogacy protections.
Date Defended
4-24-2026
Thesis Director
Whit Waide
Second Committee Member
Eric Vivier
Third Committee Member
Seth Waite
Recommended Citation
Noble, Emma J., "Surrogacy-Friendly State Law: Criteria for Categorizing State Law by Strength of Legal Pathways to Gestational Surrogacy" (2026). Honors Theses. 189.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/honorstheses/189
