Fearful their marriage rights could be next to fall, queer parents are taking action to secure legal custody of their children.
Queer parents, like myself, began to fear that our families could become the conservative justices’ next target. Especially after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomasin his concurring opinion in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which precipitated the overturning of Roe, that the court “should reconsider” other cases involving the right to privacy, including 2015′s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalised gay marriage.
In some states, parents aren’t required to complete the home study, and in others there are additional requirements, such as fingerprinting. Though some straight couples do use sperm or egg donors, it’s unheard of for them to seek second-parent adoption in these cases. “Nobody’s questioning their family,” Buell explains. For these families, a birth certificate is sufficient. But queer families have had different experiences. In the past,The NCLR advises that “securing a court judgement or decree of parentage or adoption is essential in protecting your family.