Apologies for the dearth of posts. Being the primary caregiver for a 92 year old parent tends to take more time than anticipated. Priorities change.
Anyway, I received a question on an earlier post about birth certificates. The question asked about Ohio birth certificates and how parents can be listed. In Ohio, the parents can be listed as "mother-father;" "mother-mother;" "father-father" or "parent-parent." It is nice to have choices.
This is how Ohio is handling the situation. The laws or protocols concerning birth certificates will be different in every state. You need to check with your state's version of the Bureau of Vital Statistics for more information.
It is important to remember that birth certificates are administrative documents. These documents establish that a person is born and the pertinent details that accompany that fact. Birth certificates are not a definitive record of parental rights. A child's biological parents can establish parental rights.
The same is not true of those without a biological or genetic relationship to a child. Additional steps, such as adoption or parentage determinations, will be needed.
Family issues, including how to establish parental rights, is a complicated matter. The 2015 Obergefell decision did not resolve every issue that faces same-sex couples. It will take time for the courts and state legislatures to address all of the issues.
I will be writing about the current state of affairs in future posts. Check back soon.
Anyway, I received a question on an earlier post about birth certificates. The question asked about Ohio birth certificates and how parents can be listed. In Ohio, the parents can be listed as "mother-father;" "mother-mother;" "father-father" or "parent-parent." It is nice to have choices.
This is how Ohio is handling the situation. The laws or protocols concerning birth certificates will be different in every state. You need to check with your state's version of the Bureau of Vital Statistics for more information.
It is important to remember that birth certificates are administrative documents. These documents establish that a person is born and the pertinent details that accompany that fact. Birth certificates are not a definitive record of parental rights. A child's biological parents can establish parental rights.
The same is not true of those without a biological or genetic relationship to a child. Additional steps, such as adoption or parentage determinations, will be needed.
Family issues, including how to establish parental rights, is a complicated matter. The 2015 Obergefell decision did not resolve every issue that faces same-sex couples. It will take time for the courts and state legislatures to address all of the issues.
I will be writing about the current state of affairs in future posts. Check back soon.
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