Terrific news from Massachusetts today! Just before 3 a.m. this morning, the legislature enacted the Massachusetts Parentage Act, updating state parentage laws to better protect the children of LGBTQ parents, those formed via assisted reproduction, and those with de facto or functional parents.
The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that a nongenetic mother is a legal parent to the children her same-sex former spouse gave birth to during their marriage. The decision affirmed that the best interests of a child, not just the genetic connection (or lack thereof) to a parent, must be considered in determining parentage.
As parents, we know what it’s like to change plans on a dime: to cancel a playdate because someone caught a cold or make a last-minute clothing swap (ours or the kids’) because of a spill. We adapt and move on, still focused on the ultimate goal of what’s best for our family. It’s kind of like politics.
The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act (ECDFA), a federal bill that would prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ prospective parents and LGBTQ youth in foster care and adoption, has just been reintroduced in Congress for the eighth time. Might this be the time it passes?
First Lady Jill Biden told the crowd gathered for the White House Pride Month Celebration yesterday that “Kids with two moms or two dads at the playground” were among the many triumphs of the LGBTQ community. I was honored to be at the event with my own family; here’s what I saw.
I started my family more than two decades ago via in vitro fertilization (IVF), and I’ve watched with growing alarm as the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned federal abortion rights two years ago has also endangered access to this common fertility technique. Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council, spoke with me about the threat and the Biden administration’s response.
The Massachusetts House unanimously passed critical legislation yesterday that would update the state’s parentage laws to better protect the children of LGBTQ parents and others regardless of the circumstances of their birth. Representatives spoke of how current laws shockingly fall short and urged passage of the bill for both personal and societal reasons.
As we head into Pride Month, I am moved once again to ponder all that I am proud of. My son tops the list, as always—but I am also proud of how we LGBTQ families and our allies have been able to keep pushing towards equality, despite an unprecedented amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric right now.
Twenty years ago today, two moms received the first marriage license deliberately issued to a same-sex couple in the United States. They were accompanied by their daughter and by the attorney (another another queer mom) who had led the landmark case for marriage equality. Let’s take a further look at how parents and the welfare of children helped accomplish this milestone.
All children gain security and benefits from legal ties to their parents. Yet children with LGBTQ parents, and those born through assisted reproduction, lack clear and simple ways to establish legal parentage in many states. Two key advocates in Michigan’s successful recent effort to make parentage laws more equitable and inclusive shared advice with me that they hope will help other states do the same.
