Virginia Judge Cites Slavery Law: Embryos Are Property

The Associated Press reports:

Frozen human embryos can legally be considered property, or “chattel,” a Virginia judge has ruled, basing his decision in part on a 19th century law governing the treatment of slaves.

The preliminary opinion by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner – delivered in a long-running dispute between a divorced husband and wife – is being criticized by some for wrongly and unnecessarily delving into a time in Virginia history when it was legally permissible to own human beings.

“It’s repulsive and it’s morally repugnant,” said Susan Crockin, a lawyer and scholar at Georgetown University’s Kennedy Institute of Ethics and an expert in reproductive technology law.

Read the full article.

Frozen human embryos can legally be considered property, or “chattel,” a Virginia judge has ruled, basing his decision in part on a 19th century law governing the treatment of slaves. https://t.co/1pMktrZRq0

— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) March 9, 2023

Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner based his decision on frozen embryos partially on a 19th century law about the treatment of slaves. The Old Dominion Bar Association’s president thought Gardiner would be “seeking more modern precedent.” https://t.co/oUo2azKUME

— The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) March 9, 2023