Establishes a cause of action for fertility fraud; allows patients who have undergone assisted reproduction procedures to bring a cause of action if human reproductive material other than that which was consented to by the patient is used in such procedure; allows for compensatory and punitive damages.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5743
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 28, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. CLEARE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes
AN ACT to amend the civil rights law and the education law, in relation
to establishing a cause of action for fertility fraud
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 5 of the civil rights law is amended by adding a
2 new section 52-e to read as follows:
3 § 52-e. Private right of action for fertility fraud. 1. Any patient
4 who has undergone an assisted reproduction procedure with a health care
5 provider, any intended parent, the spouse of any patient who has under-
6 gone an assisted reproduction procedure with a health care provider, the
7 spouse of any intended parent, or a child or person born as a result of
8 such assisted reproduction procedure shall have a private right of
9 action for damages against such health care provider under any of the
10 following conditions:
11 (a) such health care provider knowingly or intentionally performs an
12 assisted reproduction procedure using the human reproductive material of
13 the health care provider or any other donor without the patient's
14 informed written consent to treatment using human reproductive material
15 from the health care provider or from any donor other than a donor from
16 whom the patient consented to in writing; or
17 (b) such health care provider intentionally performs an assisted
18 reproduction procedure and such health care provider knows or reasonably
19 should have known that the human reproductive material was used: (i)
20 without the donor's consent; or (ii) in a manner or to an extent other
21 than that to which the donor consented.
22 2. Any patient who has undergone an assisted reproduction procedure,
23 any intended parent, the spouse of any patient who has undergone an
24 assisted reproduction procedure, the spouse of any intended parent, or a
25 child or person born as a result of such assisted reproduction procedure
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02744-01-5
S. 5743 2
1 shall have a private right of action for damages against a donor or
2 assisted reproductive service provider under any of the following condi-
3 tions:
4 (a) such donor or assisted reproductive service provider knowingly
5 provides false or misleading information about the donor's medical
6 history including but not limited to an illness at the time of donation,
7 any past illness of the donor, or the genetic or family history of the
8 donor for the past two generations which is known to the donor at the
9 time of donation; or
10 (b) such assisted reproductive service provider knowingly uses or
11 provides human reproductive material for an assisted reproduction proce-
12 dure in a manner or to an extent other than that to which the patient
13 consented.
14 3. A donor of human reproductive material shall have a cause of action
15 against a health care provider or assisted reproductive service provid-
16 er, if the donor's human reproductive material was used: (a) without the
17 donor's consent; or (b) in a manner or to an extent other than that to
18 which the donor consented.
19 4. Damages recovered by a plaintiff pursuant to this section shall
20 include compensatory damages, including plaintiff's emotional distress
21 arising from defendant's conduct. In addition thereto, the trier of
22 fact may award punitive damages and such other non-monetary relief as
23 may be appropriate.
24 5. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to abrogate or otherwise
25 limit any right or remedy otherwise conferred by federal or state law,
26 including but not limited to, any right or remedy related to child
27 support, nor shall any award under this section be used to offset child
28 support obligations that may arise in connection with this section.
29 6. A cause of action under this section shall be commenced no later
30 than six years from the date a person discovers, or reasonably should
31 have discovered, the fertility fraud.
32 7. For purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the
33 following meanings:
34 (a) "donor" shall mean an individual who does not intend to be a
35 parent, who produces human reproductive material and provides such human
36 reproductive material to another person, other than the individual's
37 spouse, for use in an assisted reproduction procedure;
38 (b) "human reproductive material" shall mean:
39 (i) a human spermatozoon or ovum; or
40 (ii) a human organism at any stage of development from fertilized ovum
41 to embryo;
42 (c) "patient" shall mean any individual injected or implanted with
43 human reproductive material; and
44 (d) "intended parent" shall have the same meaning as in subdivision
45 (l) of section 581-102 of the family court act.
46 § 2. Section 6530 of the education law is amended by adding a new
47 subdivision 51 to read as follows:
48 51. (a) Knowingly or intentionally performing an assisted reproduction
49 procedure using the human reproductive material of the licensee or any
50 other donor without the patient's informed written consent to treatment
51 using human reproductive material from the licensee or from any donor
52 other than a donor from whom the patient consented to in writing; or
53 (b) intentionally performing an assisted reproduction procedure and
54 such licensee knows or reasonably should have known that the human
55 reproductive material was used:
56 (i) without the donor's consent; or
S. 5743 3
1 (ii) in a manner or to an extent other than that to which the donor
2 consented.
3 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
4 have become a law, and shall apply to acts occurring on or after such
5 date.
