Mass. Supreme Judicial Court: Parenting Rights Extend Even if Couple Unmarried
Since the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2015 that brought Marriage Equality to the entire United States, numerous cases have been brought and heard before courts at all levels throughout the country with implications for LGBTQ parents and their children.
On Oct. 4, 2016, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the state’s highest court, ruled, “The parenting rights of a mother in a same-sex relationship extends even when the couple is unmarried and the mother has no biological connection to the children.”
From an article in the Boston Globe, “Partanen and legal analysts said the ruling extends her parental rights while protecting her children’s rights to claim two parents, regardless of their marital status. It will allow Partanen to claim the children on legal paperwork, such as for insurance benefits, and it means she will be required to pay child support. It will also allow her to be listed on the children’s birth certificates.”
CLICK HERE to read an article on the Court’s ruling and HERE.
CLICK HERE to read the Full Decision from the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.
