Uniform Parentage Act – Feedback Needed

ByJennifer, a white woman with short brown hair, wears a teal blouse and black blazer. Jennifer S. Tharrington 

Scope of project: The Uniform Parentage Act, if passed, would revolutionize parentage law in North Carolina and provide our state with a uniform legal framework for establishing a parent-child relationship regardless of how children are conceived.

The reason this matters: Currently, there is little or no law in North Carolina that allows children born of assisted reproduction to be legally attached to their parents despite infertility increasing and more available interventions to conceive. This is a legal blindspot that is harming a significant and increasing number of our state’s children and their parents.

Now is the time for feedback!

What we are asking of you: Please engage in this project. We have split the proposed UPA draft into manageable pieces and are reviewing them in sections. We have solicited feedback already on Articles 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. With the exception of a robust response from the Adoption Committee with regard to Article 4, we have received very little feedback from other section members.

How to help:

  • Please educate yourself about the UPA by accessing the library materials in our NCBA communities page.
  • Please read the draft and provide your concerns, questions, and feedback to Jennifer Tharrington and Milan Pham by the dates provided below.
  • Please attend meetings about the various articles to ensure your voice is heard.
  • Please don’t wait until the meeting where the UPA is being voted upon to share your concerns. (This UPA project has been underway for almost seven years and is the product of tremendous effort from many of our colleagues and section members.)

Important Modern Family Committee Meetings regarding the UPA:

  • November 8, 2023, 2:30 p.m. via Zoom – Meeting to vote on UPA Articles 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8. The decision of the Committee will be forwarded to Family Law Section Council as part of the full UPA.
  • December 6, 2023, 2:30 p.m. via Zoom – Meeting to vote on UPA Article 4. The decision of the Committee will be forwarded to Family Law Section Council as part of the full UPA.
  • February 7, 2024, 2:30 pm via Zoom
  • April 24, 2024, 2:30 pm via Zoom
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