The Massachusetts Parentage Act will affirm and protect our families, ensuring that all children can access the security of legal parentage.

VICTORY! Governor Healey signed the Massachusetts Parentage Act into law on August 9, 2024, after unanimous passage in the House and Senate. The historic new law, which goes into effect on January 1, 2025, will protect LGBTQ+ families and families formed through assisted reproduction. Check out our Massachusetts Parentage Act FAQ to learn more about the law.

There are many paths to parenthood and many types of families in the Commonwealth, but Massachusetts statutes have not kept pace with modern science and the diversity of our families, leaving children vulnerable.

The Massachusetts Parentage Act (“MPA”) updates Massachusetts statutes to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. This bill is critical to ensuring that all children can access the security of legal parentage, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.

This MPA is based on the Loi uniforme sur la filiation, which serves as a uniform framework for ensuring the protection of the relationship between parents and children. Originally passed in 1973 to protect children born to unmarried people, the Uniform Parentage Act was most recently revised and approved in 2017. Several neighboring states, including Vermont and Maine, have passed similar parentage legislation.

On April 5, 2022, the Massachusetts Parentage Act Coalition sent a letter to the Chairs of the Judiciary Committee urging them report the bill favorably out of committee. On June 27, following a devastating Supreme Court decision that gutted reproductive rights and raised the possibility of reconsidering core LGBTQ+ protections, the Coalition followed up with a letter emphasizing the legislation’s urgency.

For more information, download the Massachusetts Parentage Act Fact Sheet

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