In Massachusetts, a legislation was passed to transform parental rights for non-traditional families.
The bipartisan Parentage Act, signed by Gov. Maura Healey, updates the state’s parentage laws, the first in nearly 40 years, by offering clarity to accommodate modern families.
With the updates, the law:
- replaces gendered and outdated language, including such phrases as “children born out of wedlock”, with inclusive language throughout the state’s paternity law;
- adds comprehensive protections for families formed through assisted reproduction, in-vitro fertilization and surrogacy; and
- legally acknowledges de facto parents who served as primary caregivers but previously lacked formal recognition.
It is estimated that approximately 30% of LGBTQIA parents in the US lack official recognition from courts, or are not certain about their status as the legal parent/guardian of at least one child, according to a Williams Institute study.
To date, the American Civil Liberties Union has tracked over 130 active anti-LGBTQIA bills across the US. Forty-four have already been enacted in 2024.
