LGBTQs To Legislature: Pass MA Parentage Act
therainbowtimesmass.comJune 1 rally on State House steps highlighted urgent need to update parentage protections for LGBTQ families; LGBTQ Families and Allies Call on Legislature to Pass ActBOSTON–Despite the rain and chilly weather, LGBTQ families, advocates, and allies kicked off Pride Month (on June 1) with the Rally for Massachusetts Families outside the State House, calling on the legislature to promptly pass the Massachusetts Parentage Act (MPA) (S.
1133 / H. 1714), a bipartisan bill to ensure important legal protections for all children, including those with LGBTQ+ parents.
After a hearing last November, the bill is awaiting further action in the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.Access a video recording of the rally.With the July 31 end of the current legislative session quickly approaching, speakers at the event, which was hosted by the Massachusetts Parentage Act Coalition, illuminated the issues confronting families in Massachusetts due to the Commonwealth’s outdated parentage laws and how the passage of the MPA would address such problems.The speakers at the rally were:Based on the Uniform Parentage Act (UPA) 2017, a best-practice framework for ensuring the protection of the legal relationship between parents and children, the MPA would update state law to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage.
The MPA would add important protections for children born through assisted reproduction and surrogacy. The bill would also enable LGBTQ+ parents to establish parentage the same way other families do, including through a voluntary acknowledgment of parentage, and provide a clear standard for courts to resolve competing claims of parentage.“I really hope we can get this done this year.
