The Pennsylvania Family Council strongly opposes House Bill 350, also known as the Uniform Parentage Act, due to serious concerns over the well-being of children and family integrity. This legislation threatens to entrench problematic court rulings and introduces significant risks to both women and children.
In a detailed analysis, retired Judge Cheryl Allen, Of Counsel with the Independence Law Center, highlighted that HB 350 codifies the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Glover v. Junior, a ruling based on “Intent-Based Parenting.” This concept, she explains, allows individuals with no biological, gestational, adoptive, or equitable connection to a child to gain legal parenthood simply by demonstrating an intention to parent. Not only would this legislation redefine parenthood based on intent, but it would do so without any sort of adoption process. This means that any adult who would never pass the muster of adoption standards for safety reasons (or any other reason) can now “obtain” children if they have enough money.
“By detaching parentage from objective, common-sense standards, the court will now treat children as mere commodities,” Judge Allen stated. She emphasized that Pennsylvania law has traditionally aimed to preserve the stability of children’s family lives, a principle completely ignored by the Intent-Based Parenting framework.
Adding weight to these concerns, Them Before Us, a children’s rights organization, warned the House Children and Youth Committee in written testimony that HB 350 facilitates commercial surrogacy practices, including commercial genetic surrogacy. “Adoption law best practices prohibit direct payments to birth parents in exchange for their parental rights,” the organization explained, pointing out that international standards such as the Hague Convention explicitly condemn such practices as baby-selling. HB 350, however, contradicts these standards by allowing women to accept money for bearing and genetically contributing to a child, effectively legalizing baby-selling under contractual agreements.
Them Before Us also warned that this bill significantly weakens critical protections found in adoption laws, including mandatory vetting and background checks. They highlighted disturbing precedents where surrogacy laws have enabled exploitation, citing a high-profile 2011 FBI case involving a baby-selling ring. That case, legal analysts noted, was facilitated by state surrogacy laws that bypassed standard adoption procedures.
Moreover, HB 350 eliminates safeguards currently provided through judicial oversight. Under existing laws, judges can intervene in surrogacy agreements if they believe it would not be in a child’s best interest. In the name of expediency, HB 350 removes this critical safeguard, allowing automatic parental rights based solely on intent.
HB 350 also introduces controversial provisions allowing for “post-conception validation” of surrogacy contracts, potentially enabling women to become pregnant and then subsequently “match” with individuals willing to pay the highest price. Even more alarmingly, the bill permits surrogacy arrangements involving natural conception—essentially allowing paid intercourse—under contractual conditions.
In closing her analysis, Judge Allen urged that “the safety and well-being of children should be paramount,” a standard HB 350 fails to uphold. The Pennsylvania Family Council joins her call, firmly opposing the bill for its profound ethical and legal flaws. The rights and safety of children must come before the desires of adults.
For the sake of Pennsylvania’s children and families, the PA Family Council calls on legislators to reject House Bill 350 and instead to advocate for preserving ethical, protective, and family-centered laws.
Our Pittsburgh Friends of the Family Banquet is coming up on Friday, May 30th. Our keynote speaker is Katy Faust, the dynamic founder of Them Before Us, a global movement defending children’s right to their mother and father. She publishes, speaks, and testifies widely on why marriage and family are matters of justice for children, and on the need to prioritize the needs of children above the desires of adults You’ll also get an exciting update on PA Family Institute’s work in defending life, promoting religious liberty, and fighting for issues like fairness in girls’ sports, and school choice.
It’s going to be a great night. I hope to see you there! You can reserve a table or purchase tickets at pafamily.org/banquet.
