The Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) must provide an accurate two-parent birth certificate to any child born to married lesbian parents in Iowa. Same-sex couples have been able to marry in Iowa since April 2009—but the IDPH has refused to recognize both members of a same-sex couple as parents of children born to them. They can do so no longer.
An Iowa court yesterday ordered the state health department to issue an accurate death certificate for the stillborn son of Jenny and Jessica Buntemeyer.
The state of Iowa has made two moves this week that challenge the rights of same-sex parents.
First, Governor Terry Branstad’s (R) administration announced it will appeal a state district court ruling that said a child born to a lesbian couple married in that state has the right to have the names of both her parents on her birth certificate.
In yet another “lesbians behaving badly” case, in which one lesbian mom tries to deny parental rights to a former partner after both have been raising a child together, a Florida court has said both moms are the legal parents of the child. Yes, Florida—which until just over a year ago was perhaps the most
Yes, same-sex couples can marry in Iowa—but a state district court heard arguments last week in a case to determine whether the child born to a married lesbian couple has the right to have the names of both her parents on her birth certificate, as do children of same-sex couples legally married (and civil unioned)
New York enacted marriage equality on June 24. Here’s a short video by the Family Equality Council showing the responses of some LGBT parents and their children. If you are considering getting married in the Empire State, you might want to check out this list of Frequently Asked Questions from Lambda Legal.
President Obama continued to avoid answering questions about his stance on marriage equality. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to begin collecting health data on LGBT populations. Immigration officials canceled the deportation of a Venezuelan man living in New Jersey who is married to an American man. President Obama nominated Robert
Remember Zach Wahls? The University of Iowa student with two moms shot to fame in February after testifying at an Iowa House hearing about a bill that would ban marriage for same-sex couples. He’s since spoken with Ellen and the Human Rights Campaign, among others. This month, he’s profiled in Lambda Legal’s Impact newsletter (PDF
I often get e-mail from lesbian parents seeking legal advice for various matters: protecting both parents’ rights as they embark on parenthood; wanting advice in a custody or other dispute; wondering if their county/state will allow second-parent adoptions, and the like. I am not a lawyer, so I can’t offer advice myself, but I can
Add another court victory to the recent Prop 8 and DOMA wins. The Eighth District Court of Appeals in Ohio last week rejected an attempt to use the state’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage to prevent a lesbian mother from sharing custody of her children with her former partner. Lambda Legal, which represents Rita Goodman
