BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana state House on Sunday approved a bill that would prohibit unmarried and same-sex couples from becoming parents through use of a surrogate.
The bill, if signed into law by Gov. Bobby Jindal, would set up surrogacy contract rules in the state as well as define who is eligible to enter into such contracts.
The final version of the bill defines “intended parents” as “married persons,” thus barring unmarried partners and same-sex couples from becoming parents through surrogacy.
Louisiana’s Constitution specifies that marriage “shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman,” and the state does not recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
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Surprisingly, much of the opposition to the heavily amended bill came from religious and conservative groups who consider all surrogacy “anti-life,” reported the Times-Picayune.
The Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Louisiana Family Forum both contend that surrogacy is “anti-life” because the process involves the creation of embryos that are never implanted.
The legislation keeps the door open for gay couples to enter into surrogacy contracts but only if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Defense of Marriage Act, which would require Louisiana to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The court is expected to make a ruling on the act by this summer.
The bill now heads to Jindal, who has not indicated whether he supports or opposes the measure.
