Home » Virginia Courts Won’t Split Ownership of Divorced Couple’s Embryos

Virginia Courts Won’t Split Ownership of Divorced Couple’s Embryos

“The unique nature of each human embryo means that an equal division cannot conveniently be made,” writes a Virginia judge.

Propertydivisionsduringdivorcescanoftenbeacrimonious,butforHoneyhlineandJasonHeidemannthematterreachedawholenewlevelofimport.Thecouplecouldn’tdecidewhoshouldretainownershipofthefrozenembryoscreatedwithHoneyhline’seggsandJason’ssperm.ThisdisputehasgivenrisetoanovellegalcaseinVirginia. Acancersurvivorwhosechemotherapyleftherinfertile,HoneyhlineHeidemanwantedtousethefrozenembryostoconceiveanotherchild.ShearguedthatownershipoftheembryoscouldbeaddressedunderVirginia’s“goodsandchattels”statute. ButinaMarch7,2025,opinionletter,JudgeDontaeL.Buggdisagreed,dismissingHoneyhlineHeidemann’ssuitandholdingthat“humanembryosarenotsubjecttopartition”underVirginialaw“astheydonotconstitutegoodsorchattelscapableofbeingvaluedandsold.” Bugggoesontosuggestthatthere’snowaythattwoembryoscanbedividedequallybetweentwopeop