Supreme Court rejects widow’s claim in Social Security case

WASHINGTON — A widow who conceived a baby from the sperm of her late husband is not automatically entitled to Social Security survivors benefits to help raise the child, the Supreme Court ruled Monday.

The 9-0 decision rejected the claim that a biological child of a married couple, even one born years after the father died, always qualifies as his survivor under the Social Security Act.

Instead, the justices upheld the government’s multi-part definition of who deserves survivors benefits. One requirement is that a “natural child” is one who is entitled to inherit the father’s property under state law.

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