Ohio

ACCEPTANCE OF CALIFORNIA PRE-BIRTH ORDER

Yes.

Certified Order should be provided to the hospital, who will in turn provide it to the Ohio Vital Records Office.  Birth certificates will generally be available for pick-up at a local Vital Records office within 10 calendar days.

Birth Certificates

Timing - Varies by county, but the typical time frame is 5-10 business days.

Title - Parents can choose to be listed as father, parent, or mother.

GC - The initial birth certificate can include the name of the GC with the name of an IP.  The birth certificate can later be revised to remove the name of the GC.

statutes / case law

Gestational Surrogacy is permitted by case law,  J.F.v.D.B.,879N.E.2d740 (2007).

Is there a statute or published case law that addresses the rights of a donor over the resulting eggs, sperm, embryo or child?  Yes. Ohio Revised Code 3111.95.

 
If the statute only refers to sperm donors, is there case law interpreting this statute to provide the same protection in the egg donor context?  Yes, SN v. MB (2010), concluded that a donor is not a parent of the child.  The decision applies to Franklin County, Ohio and no other county has any case law establishing it as precedent.

Venue

County of the child's birthplace, county of the Intended Parent's residence, or county of the GC’s residence.

Do results vary by venue?  Yes.

Are motions to waive venue accepted?  Depending on the judge, yes.

Electronic signatures / e-notarizaTIONS

Traditional signatures and traditional notarizations required.

Second / step parent adoptions

Can the non-biological parent in a same-sex couple obtain a second parent adoption based solely on the fact that the child was born in the state (i.e., neither of the Intended Parents lives in the state)?  No.

Will courts grant second parent adoptions or stepparent adoptions to heterosexual couples living in the state?  Yes.

Does the couple need to be married?  Unknown.
 
Will courts grant second parent adoptions or stepparent adoptions to same-sex couples living in California?  Unknown.

Does the couple need to be married?  Unknown.