The law of Rhode Island approves of some forms of surrogacy. The law, however, does not directly address surrogacy. The issue of surrogacy agreements involving lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals has not yet been considered by the courts.
The state statute prohibiting human cloning has an explicit exception for the assisted reproductive technologies used in gestational surrogacy (in which the surrogate mother is not the biological contributor of the egg). However, the Rhode Island legislature enacted a sunset clause which states that the statute prohibiting cloning will expire on July 7, 2010.
There is no explicit prohibition in Rhode Island on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender couples jointly adopting a child, nor is there an explicit prohibition on lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals adopting the child of their same-sex partner.