New Life: Person or Property?
LEILA OBIER SCHROEDER M.S.W., J.D.1
1 Associate Professor, College of Business Administration, and Special Lecturer, College of Law, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La. 70803
Medical science is on the threshold of creating human life through other than traditional reproductive methods. The legal problems associated with cloning, the use of a host mother, or the growth of a fetus in an artificial placenta have not been solved. An examination of the legal problems associated with the paternity of children conceived by artificial insemination reveals the need to resolve anticipated "new life" problems before continuing to develop new techniques for procreation. Adoption and legitimation statutes may serve as useful models for legislative solutions.