Sex Spouses Turn To Adoption To Protect Parental Rights
canada goose jacket outlet with their two kids and a big rainbow flag in front. The couple has been legally married for seven years and together for 14 years. canada goose jacket outlet
canada goose outlet canada When they decided to have a baby, they “went through a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of heartache trying to get uk canada goose pregnant,” Martha says. They used an anonymous sperm donor, and it took them many months. When Martha gave birth to daughter Janey now a bubbly 8 year old in 2009, they knew that they’d need to put forth yet more time, money, and heartache. canada goose outlet canada
canada goose outlet uk sale “We knew that unlike straight couples having a baby there is no automatic legal connection between Meredith and the baby that that we had together,” Martha says. canada goose outlet uk sale
canada goose outlet sale Behind that difference is something called uk canada goose outlet the “marital presumption.” When a married man and a woman have a child, they’re automatically considered the parents of that child in the eyes of the law. canada goose outlet canada goose uk outlet sale
canada goose outlet in usa But many same canada goose clearance sex married Canada Goose Outlet couples worry that’s not true for them. When a woman gives birth to a child, for example, her female spouse may not have the same legal rights canada goose store as a parent even if she’s on the birth certificate. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that same sex couples Canada Goose Jackets had the right to marry but courts haven’t resolved what parental rights flow out of those marriages. canada goose outlet in usa
canada goose outlet uk So to make canada goose sure sure the spouse’s parental rights are protected by the law same sex couples are going through a months long, invasive legal process known as second parent adoption. to hear about families’ experiences with this process we heard from dozens of people from Oregon to Oklahoma. Some called it “humiliating,” “absurd,” “frustrating;” for others it was a mere inconvenience. canada goose outlet uk
canada goose outlet Canada Goose Online black friday For Canada Goose Coats On Sale the Holley Miers family, the whole adoption process took months and cost about $3,500. A judge granted Meredith the adoption of her daughter Janey in July 2009. canada goose outlet black friday
That process involved a cheap Canada Goose physical, blood work, TB test, and fingerprinting, says Meredith. There were additional state and FBI background checks, too. But the most stressful aspect of the process, the couple says, was a home visit by a social worker.
canada goose outlet reviews “Anybody who adopts has to do a home study,” Meredith says. “It just bothered me that we had to canada goose uk black friday do the whole process in general.” canada goose outlet reviews
canada goose outlet “It was hard to https://www.gooseyou.com not compare our experience to the experience of straight couples who while I know a lot of straight couples have a hard time having kids there are a lot of people who get pregnant without even planning it, and nobody really questions whether or not they are fit parents,” Martha says. “It just felt really unfair.” canada goose outlet
canada goose outlet jackets But they felt the second parent adoption was something they had to do. canada goose outlet jackets
canada goose outlet online Martha worried that if she died, “Meredith would be left taking care of a baby that she had no legal bond to. And so if my family decided that they didn’t like that, they could take Meredith to court and they would have a stronger canada goose coats legal relationship to our baby than Meredith would if we didn’t do the second parent adoption,” she said. “Or if we ever God forbid were to split up and she didn’t have a legal connection to the baby then custody issues would be very difficult for her to pursue a legal custody relationship with the baby.” canada goose outlet online
goose outlet canada The family’s cheap canada goose uk attorney, Michele Zavos, has spent decades helping same sex couples protect their parental rights. goose outlet canada
“Our law is based on heterosexual, patriarchal circumstances,” Zavos says. “What canadian goose jacket we’ve had to do is take that framework and use it to then try and create legal relationships for people who don’t fit that framework. Second parent adoptions were made up I think first in California probably about 30 years ago. And now they are the law of the land.”
canada goose outlet toronto factory The Supreme Court has weighed in canada canada goose outlet goose coats on sale on this, saying states have to legally recognize second parent adoptions granted by courts in other states no exceptions. canada goose outlet toronto factory
canada buy canada goose jacket cheap goose outlet store uk The Holley Meirs’ are now in the second parent adoption process again, this time for their three year old, canada goose uk shop Jack. canada goose Canada Goose online outlet store uk
canada goose outlet store President Trump has not said he intends to chip away at the canada goose factory sale rights of same sex families. Still, Martha and Meredith say they’re nervous. canada goose outlet store
canada goose black friday sale Their attorney, Michele Zavos, says they should be. But she says she is seeing family law evolve in some jurisdictions. canada goose black friday sale
canada goose outlet parka But many states haven’t weighed in yet on whether or not intent is enough to establish parental rights for same sex couples. For now, Zavos says, second parent adoption remains the best way to ensure two women who are married can both claim to be the legal parents of their children canada goose outlet parka.
