{"id":351988,"date":"2025-03-17T11:26:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T16:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/family\/surrogacy-artificial-conception\/what-is-a-judgment-of-parentage.html"},"modified":"2025-03-17T11:33:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T16:33:59","slug":"what-is-a-judgment-of-parentage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/family\/surrogacy-artificial-conception\/what-is-a-judgment-of-parentage.html","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Judgment of Parentage?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What Is a Judgment of Parentage?<\/h1>\n
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\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Laura Temme, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

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A judgment of parentage is a legal decree that establishes an individual as the legal parent of a child. This judgment is crucial for parents in cases involving assisted reproduction, surrogacy, or when paternity is disputed. It ensures that parents have the legal rights and responsibilities to make decisions regarding the child’s welfare. It is especially important in complex family structures or when biological relationships are not straightforward.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

Thanks to assisted reproduction, parents who might otherwise not have had children can experience the joy of parenthood. Options like surrogacy have been a tremendous benefit to couples dealing with infertility, LGBTQ families, and other parents unable to conceive on their own.<\/p>\r\n

Families who use surrogacy must obtain a judgment of parentage to establish a parental relationship with their child. Parents also need a judgment of parentage to establish paternity<\/a> and other legal rights regarding children<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

What is Parentage?<\/h2>\r\n

Very simply, "parentage" means determining the legal parents of a child. In practice, determining parentage is less straightforward than that.<\/p>\r\n

Thanks to assisted reproduction<\/a>, surrogacy agreements, blended families, and adoption, a child’s parents are not necessarily the people who provide the DNA.<\/p>\r\n

Parenting Definitions<\/h3>\r\n

Different states have their own definitions for "parents," but in general, the parents of a child can be any of the following:<\/p>\r\n