March 18, 2026 Clear

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Chapter 209C

Section 1 Declaration of purpose; definition; responsibility for support
Section 1A Definitions
Section 2 Parentage; acknowledgment or adjudication; statistical information of parties; transmission to registrarr
Section 3 Paternity and support actions; jurisdiction; enforcement of prior orders or judgments; juvenile court commitment proceedings; parents convicted of first degree murder
Section 4 Venue; service
Section 5 Persons entitled to maintain actions or execute voluntary acknowledgment of parentage; parties
Section 6 Presumption of paternity; mandatory joinder
Section 7 Representation in parentage actions; appointment of counsel; burden of proof
Section 8 Judgment of parentage; age of parents; notice
Section 9 Judgment or order for support; health insurance; financial statement; determination of amount; notice
Section 10 Award of custody; criteria
Section 11 Acknowledgment of parentage; approval; parental agreements regarding custody, support and visitation
Section 12 Trial; exclusion of public
Section 13 Inspection of documents; copies; segregation of records
Section 14 Complaints brought prior to birth
Section 15 Temporary orders; enforcement; information required to be given to petitioner; domestic violence record search
Section 16 Competency to testify; refusal to testify; costs of tests; admissibility of evidence; failure of party to attend; testimony by telephone or affidavit
Section 17 Genetic marker tests; affidavit; refusal to submit to test; costs
Section 18 Judgments or orders of support; enforcement
Section 19 Judgment or temporary order of support; enforcement
Section 20 Modification of judgments; jurisdiction
Section 21 Action to determine mother and child relationship
Section 22 Proceedings barred under this chapter
Section 23 Intermarriage of parents; jurisdiction
Section 24 Forms
Section 25 Adjudication of parentage of a child; commencement; governance; verified complaints; standing; temporary order of contact; de facto parent; third party right to visitation
Section 26 Best interest of the child; parentage challenges and genetic testing; more than two parents; determination of custody, parenting time, visitation and child support
Section 27 Application; venue; donor; assisted reproduction with the intent to be a parent; proceeding to adjudicate a spouse's parentage of a child born by assisted reproduction; consent; death of person who intends to be a parent; clinical or laboratory error; genetic testing; commencement of proceeding; final judgment; divorce
Section 28 Application of sections 28 to 28P; venue
Section 28A Surrogacy agreements
Section 28B Enforceability of surrogacy agreement
Section 28C Surrogacy agreement; required terms; expenses; surrogate health and welfare decisions; termination of agreement; assignability of rights
Section 28D Surrogacy agreement; marriage; divorce
Section 28E Exclusive, continuing jurisdiction of court
Section 28F Termination of surrogacy agreement; expenses; liability
Section 28G Vesting of parental rights upon birth of child conceived by assisted reproduction; genetic testing; application
Section 28H Death of intended parent before the transfer or implantation of a gamete or embryo
Section 28I Judgment of parentage proceeding; order or judgment; parties; complaint; closed proceedings
Section 28J Gestational surrogacy agreement; enforceability; remedies for breach; specific performance;
Section 28K Validation of genetic surrogacy agreement; timing of order; termination
Section 28L Termination of surrogacy agreement by intended parent or genetic surrogate; timing; expenses; liability
Section 28M Birth of a child conceived by assisted reproduction under genetic surrogacy agreement; notice to court; clinical or laboratory error; genetic testing to determine the genetic parentage of the child
Section 28N Genetic surrogacy agreement not validated under section 28K; enforceability; preponderance of the evidence ; adjudication of parentage; standing
Section 28O Child conceived by assisted reproduction under a genetic surrogacy agreement; intended parents ;death of intended parent
Section 28P Breach of genetic surrogacy agreement; remedies; specific performance
Section 28Q Gender-affirming health care services of children; law of jurisdiction outside of commonwealth; custody, parenting time and visitation; abuse, neglect or maltreatment; consideration of the likely disruption or cessation of gender-affirming health care services in the alteration of custody, parenting time or visitation