A bill that will provide survivor benefits to Mississippi children conceived through in vitro fertilization after the death of a biological parent has been signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves.
Reeves’ signature on House Bill 1542 Monday marked the end of a long campaign initiated by Rep. Dana McLean, R-Columbus, on behalf of Columbus resident Katie Studdard and her daughter, Elyse.
Elyse was conceived via IVF six months after the death of her father, Chris McDill. An application for Social Security benefits for Elyse was rejected because Mississippi law did not recognize those rights.
The bill to change the law was one of the first bills McLean filed after she was elected in 2019. McLean has filed the bill every year since then.
The final version of the bill was passed unanimously in the House (96-0) and almost unanimously in the Senate (24-1). When the law goes into effect on July 1, Mississippi will be the 28th state to make children conceived through IVF after a parent’s death eligible as heirs and survivors, referred to legally as intestacy.
“It was such a relief to know that after all these years, what needed to be made right was made right,” Studdard said after the bill was passed in the legislature May 1.
McLean echoed that sentiment.
“It was a relief after all we had gone through, not just in this session, but the ups and downs every year, being hopeful it would make it through, then being disappointed in the end,” McLean said. “It’s always going to be special to me because I know the family, that this will help, and the child will receive her benefits.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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