Second Parent Adoption | New Hampshire

Yes, but probably only so long as they are married. In a 1987 case involving a straight couple, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that New Hampshire’s adoption statute, which permits joint adoption by a “husband and wife,” ( NH RSA 170-B:4, I) does not allow two unmarried adults to adopt together.68 Although the language of the statute is gendered, a married same-sex couple should be allowed to adopt.

A second-parent adoption is when one partner adopts the other partner’s biological child. Although New Hampshire law has no explicit prohibition against second-parent adoptions, the New Hampshire Supreme Court has yet to rule on the issue. While some second-parent adoptions have been granted by the lower courts, others have been denied. If you are an unmarried couple who has been denied the ability to petition for a second-parent adoption, please contact GLAD Answers.

However, there is some good news: New Hampshire law explicitly allows for step-parent adoption, whereby one spouse adopts the other’s biological child (NH RSA 170-B:4, IV(a)). Married same-sex couples can use this process to effectuate a second-parent adoption.

For more information about both adoption and second parent adoption see Questions et réponses sur l'adoption.

Both joint adoptions and second parent adoptions ensure your child has two legal parents, which often provides greater comfort and security to everyone involved. Depending on your particular family situation, the law may not recognize both partners as legal parents without an adoption. In these cases, the non-legal parent needs special permission to make medical decisions for the child or attend school meetings, and is at risk of losing custody if the couple splits up.

L'adoption permet à un parent non légal de devenir parent légal, habilité à prendre des décisions concernant l'enfant sans autorisation spéciale. Elle permet également au parent adoptif d'assumer automatiquement la garde de l'enfant en cas de décès de son partenaire. De même, en cas de décès du parent adoptif, l'enfant aura le droit d'hériter de lui, même en l'absence de testament, et pourra éventuellement percevoir des prestations de survivant de la sécurité sociale.

Finally, if a couple separates, adoption ensures that both parents have the right to custody and visitation, and that any disputes will be decided based on what is in the best interests of the child rather than on who is the legal parent.

A joint adoption is when both partners adopt a child together at the same time. A second-parent adoption is when one partner adopts the other partner’s child. A single-parent adoption is when a single individual adopts a child. All three of these are legal in Connecticut.

Un parent biologique qui entretient une relation avec son enfant est un parent légal. Un parent adoptif est également un parent légal.

Even without a biological or adoptive connection, certain individuals are presumed to be legal parents by law. For instance, a man is presumed to be a father if he is married to the child’s mother or marries her after the child’s birth and acknowledges paternity in writing (NH RSA 168-B:3, I(a)). Although the statute is gendered, it should apply equally to same-sex couples (see, NH RSA 23:3 (“gender-specific terms relating to the marital relationship or familiar relationships … shall be construed to be gender-neutral for all purposes throughout New Hampshire law)).

Similarly, parentage is presumed when a person “receives the child into [their] home and openly holds out the child as [their] child” (NH RSA 168-B:3, I(d)). In a groundbreaking 2014 case, In Re Guardianship of Madelyn B. (166 N.H. 453 (2014)), the New Hampshire Supreme Court established that this presumption applies equally to same-sex parents. The court also held that a lack of biological connection did not bar the application of the presumption, since the “presumptions are driven not by biolog[y]…but by the state’s interest in the welfare of the child and the integrity of the family” (Identifiant. at 462). GLAD and co-counsel Kysa Crusco represented the plaintiff in the case, a lesbian non-birth mother seeking to establish legal parentage of her daughter.

While this decision is an incredibly important victory for all LGBT families, having to go through a court to establish parenthood is painful and costly. Couples are strongly encouraged to obtain legal recognition of parent-child relationships outside of court. For more information, see GLAD’s publication, Protection des familles : normes pour les familles LGBT.

A second parent adoption is the best way to ensure the ongoing parental rights of both partners. Even if New Hampshire law presumes you are a legal parent, another state may not respect that presumption if you or your partner moves. By contrast, adoption is a court judgment creating a parent-child relationship and is very likely to be respected by other states, even if these states are otherwise hostile to same-sex couples parenting.

Barre latérale Miller-Jenkins

Compter sur la bonne volonté du partenaire, ou même sur le fait qu'un enfant soit né d'un mariage ou d'une union civile, n'est pas la meilleure façon de garantir le maintien des droits des deux parents en cas de séparation ultérieure. Par exemple, Miller-Jenkins c. Miller-JenkinsCette affaire est en litige depuis 2004, a impliqué deux cours suprêmes d'État (Vermont et Virginie) et a déjà été portée à plusieurs reprises devant la Cour suprême des États-Unis. La procédure est en cours.

Dans cette affaire, Janet et Lisa ont eu une enfant, Isabella, alors qu'elles étaient en union civile. Janet n'a pas adopté. Après leur séparation, Lisa a déménagé en Virginie et a utilisé l'absence d'adoption et les lois de Virginie hostiles aux relations homosexuelles pour empêcher Janet de contacter leur fille. Cependant, les tribunaux de Virginie ont finalement reconnu que les tribunaux du Vermont étaient compétents pour statuer sur la garde et les droits de visite.

Après de nombreuses tentatives pour obtenir de Lisa qu'elle accorde un droit de visite à Janet, le tribunal des affaires familiales du Vermont a rendu en novembre 2009 une ordonnance accordant à Janet la responsabilité des soins quotidiens d'Isabella, tout en accordant à Lisa un droit de visite plus large. Le transfert de garde devait avoir lieu le 1er janvier 2010. Cependant, Lisa ne s'est pas présentée à l'heure convenue et un mandat d'arrêt a été émis. Lisa et Isabella sont toujours introuvables.

GLAD and local counsel represented Janet in the Vermont proceedings. For more information about the case, go to https://www.gladlaw.org/work/cases/miller-jenkins-v-miller-jenkins.

Yes. In 2014, the New Hampshire General Court passed Senate Bill 353, An Act Relative to Surrogacy (NH RSA 168-B, available at http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2014/SB0353.html), which updated New Hampshire’s surrogacy law to reflect advances in assisted reproductive technologies. Previously New Hampshire law allowed surrogacy only when the intended mother’s eggs were used, and only when the intended parents were married. The new Act, which is one of the most comprehensive and forward-looking surrogacy laws in the country, allows all individuals to become parents via surrogacy regardless of marital status or sexual orientation.

The Act also simplified the legal process for intended parents, establishing standardized criteria for gestational carrier agreements and ensuring that all parties are legally protected. It sets minimum requirements for gestational carrier agreements and recognizes that these agreements are legally enforceable contracts. However, it is important to note that the Act allows a surrogate to keep the child if she executes a signed writing of her intention and delivers it to the intended parents at least 72 hours prior to the birth (see NH RSA 168-B:25, I-IV).

These are tricky cases, but a non-legal parent may be able show that they stand in loco parentis to their child, entitling them to a limited number of rights, including the ability to intervene in custody proceedings. To establish in loco parentis, an individual must show that they admitted the child into their family and treated the child as a family member, forming a “psychological parent-child relationship.”

Il existe un certain nombre de mesures qui peuvent être prises, même si aucune n’offre la sécurité d’une adoption par un deuxième parent.

1. Accord de coparentalité : Un accord de coparentalité est un accord définissant les attentes des parents quant au rôle de chacun et leurs projets en cas de séparation, d'invalidité ou de décès. Bien que ces accords ne soient pas toujours pleinement appliqués par les tribunaux, qui sont tenus de prendre des décisions en matière de garde et de visite dans l'intérêt supérieur de l'enfant, ils constituent des indicateurs importants de ce que le couple souhaite. croyait était dans l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant et pouvait influencer la décision finale du tribunal.
2. Co-tutelle : A legal parent may choose to name the non-legal parent as a co-guardian. This process allows the non-legal parent to make the same kinds of decisions for the child that a legal parent makes, including medical decisions (see NH RSA 463:10 (allowing appointment of appropriate persons, including “co-guardians may be appointed when in the best interests of the minor”), 12 (rights of guardian)). The best interest of the child standard controls appointments of guardians (NH RSA 463:8), and a guardian must file annual reports on the minor’s welfare (NH RSA 463:12). This status is not permanent and any person, including the legal parent, may petition to have a guardian removed (NH RSA 463:14-16).
3. Testaments : A legal parent may use their will to nominate a guardian to take custody of the child upon the parent’s death. These wishes are given strong preference by courts. However, if the child has another legal parent living, then that person will have priority over the nominated guardian.