On September 12 and 13, 2011, Associate Rob Worster attended the University of Richmond School of Law’s National Center for Family Law’s Third National Family Law Symposium: State of the Family 2011. This continuing legal education event featured the following topics: The Status of Embryos: The Future of Regulating In Vitro Fertilization; Electronic Evidence in Family Law; Electronic Discovery; Cybersex Addiction: Diagnosis and Treatment and the Ethical Management of Electronic and Internet Evidence, among others.
Jennifer Schneider, M.D., Ph.D gave a superior presentation Sexual Addiction (Cyber-Sex Addiction) and the devastating impact to the addict and the addict’s family. For years adultery has been discussed but the damage of “online” affairs and pornography addiction have been widely ignored. Addictions of all kinds are so common in families and so rarely discussed because of the incredible stigma and shame involved.
Also of interest were discussions on the impact of social media on parenting and the legal status of non-implanted embryos in post-IVF divorces. These topics will become more and more important as advances in the medical field and social media continue at such a rapid pace.