{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-49.7.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-49.7.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-49.7.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-49.7.html"}],"law_id":73619,"edition_id":1,"section_id":73619,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.7","catch_line":"Civil actions","history":"1988, cc. 866, 878; 1997, cc. 792, 896.","full_text":"An action brought under this chapter is a civil action. The natural parent and the alleged parent are competent to testify. Testimony of a physician concerning the medical circumstances of the pregnancy and the condition and characteristics of the child upon birth shall not be privileged. Bills for expenses incurred for pregnancy, childbirth and genetic testing shall be admissible as prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein, without requiring third-party foundation testimony if the party offering such evidence is under oath.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":264781,"text":"An action brought under this chapter is a civil action. The natural parent and the alleged parent are competent to testify. Testimony of a physician concerning the medical circumstances of the pregnancy and the condition and characteristics of the child upon birth shall not be privileged. Bills for expenses incurred for pregnancy, childbirth and genetic testing shall be admissible as prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein, without requiring third-party foundation testimony if the party offering such evidence is under oath.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13943,"edition_id":1,"name":"Proceedings to Determine Parentage","identifier":"3.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:22","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:22","permalink":{"id":178347,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13943,"identifier":"3.1","token":"20\/3.1","url":"\/20\/3.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12711,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":178075,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12711,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":79167,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.1","catch_line":"How parent and child relationship established","url":"\/20-49.1\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.1","metadata":false},{"id":60411,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.10","catch_line":"Relief from legal determination of paternity","url":"\/20-49.10\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.10","metadata":false},{"id":60564,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.2","catch_line":"Commencement of action; parties; jurisdiction","url":"\/20-49.2\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.2","metadata":false},{"id":70927,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.3","catch_line":"Admission of genetic tests","url":"\/20-49.3\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.3","metadata":false},{"id":59276,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.4","catch_line":"Evidence relating to parentage","url":"\/20-49.4\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.4","metadata":false},{"id":66230,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.5","catch_line":"Support of children of unwed parents by the father; testimony under oath","url":"\/20-49.5\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.5","metadata":false},{"id":83066,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.6","catch_line":"Proceedings to establish paternity or enforce support obligations of males between the ages of fourteen and eighteen","url":"\/20-49.6\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.6","metadata":false},{"id":73619,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.7","catch_line":"Civil actions","url":"\/20-49.7\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.7","metadata":false},{"id":75922,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.8","catch_line":"Judgment or order; costs; birth record","url":"\/20-49.8\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.8","metadata":false},{"id":54998,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.9","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-49.9\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.9","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":83066,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.6","catch_line":"Proceedings to establish paternity or enforce support obligations of males between the ages of fourteen and eighteen","url":"\/20-49.6\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.6","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":75922,"structure_id":13943,"section_number":"20-49.8","catch_line":"Judgment or order; costs; birth record","url":"\/20-49.8\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.8","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-49.7\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1988. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 866 and 878 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1988 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 1997, chapters 792<\/a> and 896<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":178377,"object_type":"law","relational_id":73619,"identifier":"20-49.7","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.7","url":"\/20-49.7\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-49.7\/","token":"20\/3.1\/20-49.7","dublin_core":{"Title":"Civil actions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-49.7","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

An action brought under this chapter is a civil action<\/span>. The natural parent and the alleged parent are competent to testify. Testimony<\/span> of a physician concerning the medical circumstances of the pregnancy and the condition and characteristics of the child upon birth shall not be privileged. Bills for expenses incurred for pregnancy, childbirth and genetic testing shall be admissible<\/span> as prima facie evidence<\/span> of the facts<\/span> stated therein, without requiring third-party<\/span> foundation testimony<\/span> if the party<\/span> offering such evidence<\/span> is under oath<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCIVIL ACTIONS (\u00a7 20-49.7)\n\nAn action brought under this chapter is a civil action. The natural parent and\nthe alleged parent are competent to testify. Testimony of a physician concerning\nthe medical circumstances of the pregnancy and the condition and characteristics\nof the child upon birth shall not be privileged. Bills for expenses incurred for\npregnancy, childbirth and genetic testing shall be admissible as prima facie\nevidence of the facts stated therein, without requiring third-party foundation\ntestimony if the party offering such evidence is under oath.\n\nHISTORY: 1988, cc. 866, 878; 1997, cc. 792, 896.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}