Senate Bill 885 Summary

• Establishes legal framework for assisted reproduction and surrogacy agreements in North Carolina, allowing intended parents to establish parentage through medical procedures like IVF, intrauterine insemination, and embryo transfer.

• Donors of gametes (sperm or eggs) are not considered parents of children conceived through assisted reproduction; only individuals who consent to parentage in writing are recognized as legal parents.

• Requires surrogacy agreements to be validated by court order before assisted reproduction occurs for genetic surrogates; gestational surrogates do not require pre-approval but must meet eligibility requirements including age 21+, prior childbirth, and independent legal counsel.

• Grants genetic surrogates a 72-hour window after birth to withdraw consent and terminate the surrogacy agreement; gestational surrogates cannot challenge the intended parents' parentage once an agreement is executed.

• Appropriates $10,000 to the Department of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2024-2025 to fund education and training; effective October 1, 2024.