Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality Celebrates Final Passage of Uniform Parentage Act

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality Celebrates Final Passage of Uniform Parentage Act

The bill updates the state’s 40-year-old law to ensure all Rhode Island children have equal access to the security of legal parentage

Providence — Today the Rhode Island House and Senate passed a final version of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, legislation that updates the state’s 40-year-old law to ensure all Rhode Island children have equal access to the security of legal parentage. The bill now goes to Governor Raimondo for signing.

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality (RIPE), a coalition of parents, families, community members, and organizations advocating for the legal security of all children and families in Rhode Island, celebrated today’s final milestone following a three-year+ effort to update the parentage law to be more fair, equitable, and protective of all families.

“We are thrilled with today’s vote to support justice and equality for children and families in Rhode Island,” said Wendy Becker, advocate and organizer with RIPE and LGBTQ Action RI. “The parents advocating for this bill have shown up again and again to tell painful stories about the fears and consequences of not having a clear legal relationship to their children. The COVID-19 pandemic has made their concerns even more urgent. We thank the members of the House and Senate, including all of the bill’s sponsors, for recognizing that what’s best for Rhode Island and best for families is to ensure that all parents have the ability to protect their children through a secure legal relationship as soon after birth as possible.”

“When my partner Anna and I welcomed our son Eli in 2016, I was a legal stranger to him because our laws didn’t address the parentage of a child born to unmarried same-gender parents or conceived through fertility treatments,” said Sara Watson, a physician and parent member of RIPE. “It took eight agonizing months to finalize Eli’s adoption. I couldn’t make legal decisions for Eli. I couldn’t add him on my insurance. I couldn’t pick him up from daycare. Rhode Island’s outdated law might even have denied me custody of Eli if something had happened to Anna before the adoption was finalized. For 4 years Anna and I have been advocating so families like ours never need to go through that same pain and fear. We’re grateful to our Representative Carol McEntee for championing this bill, and to all the House and Senate members who voted today to make sure no family ever has to experience what we did.”

“The passage of this bill today means the world to me and my wife, Meredith,” said Andi Wheeler, an expectant parent advocate with RIPE. “After four years of planning and painful losses, we are expecting our first child in the fall. But along with the joy of building our family, I have experienced profound fear about whether I will be fully recognized everywhere as my child’s parent. It hurts deeply to be told that in order to protect our child my family would be subject to the scrutiny of a home study, and that we would have to provide notice to the anonymous donor that I am adopting the child Meredith and I planned for. We have also worried about what delays might be caused by COVID-19, and whether the courts would even be open by the time we are able to start the adoption process. Today the legislature said clearly that we shouldn’t have to have those worries – that our child, like every child born in Rhode Island, deserves to have a secure legal tie to both their parents as soon as they are born.”

“Today’s vote is a huge win for Rhode Island families,” said Polly Crozier, Senior Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “The RIUPA centers the needs of Rhode Island’s children and incorporates the perspective of the many stakeholders who care about Rhode Island children and families – including parents, community members, key state agencies and the Family Court – as well as best practices from model national legislation. We’re grateful to lead sponsors Senator Erin Lynch Prata and Representative Carol McEntee, and to Representative and Judiciary Chair Robert Craven for their commitment and work to make sure we passed a bill this session that makes Rhode Island parentage law clear, accessible and Constitutional, and removes unfair barriers that have made it harder for parents to protect their children.”

“The Judiciary Committee heard heart wrenching testimony about the ways in which our outdated laws are impacting parents and children. As our laws stand right now, a couple who have a child via a sperm donor may have to hire a lawyer or advertise to determine parentage in order to terminate the parental rights of an anonymous sperm donor. Parents may be unable to make medical decisions for their child when they’re incapacitated due to complications. This is simply unfair. Rhode Island law needs to be updated so that the state no longer puts up unnecessary obstacles to loving parents simply because they are not heterosexual or have not conceived through traditional reproduction methods,” said Senator Lynch Prata (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston).

“Our state’s adoption and parentage laws are significantly outdated, especially toward our state’s loving LGBTQ parents who want nothing more than to love, protect, and be responsible for their children. These bills are needed because we must acknowledge that our society and its definition of ‘families’ has changed and we cannot discriminate or put up undue burdens for those who wish nothing more than to love and raise the future members of our society. The legislation is also supremely beneficial to the children who are born through these processes because it allows them to officially have two loving and supportive parents from the moment they are born. This bill is specifically about one thing – equality and fairness, especially for the loving parents and their children in this state,” said Representative McEntee (D-Dist. 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett).

The RIUPA fills critical gaps in the state’s parentage law, particularly for LGBTQ parents and their children. The legislation allows LGBTQ couples access to establishing parentage through a simple civil Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage, reducing the need for a burdensome, expensive and lengthy co-parent adoption process. It also creates for the first time in Rhode Island an accessible path to parentage for children born through assisted reproduction, as well as protections for children born through surrogacy.

To speak to parents who have been impacted by Rhode Island’s outdated parentage law, or for more information about the legal impact of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, contact Amanda Johnston at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, ajohnston@glad.org

Parents and families who have specific questions or concerns regarding parentage should contact GLAD Answers at www.GLADAnswers.org

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Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality (RIPE) is a coalition of parents and organizations working to ensure Rhode Island parentage law is constitutional and protects all children. In addition to numerous Rhode Island families, RIPE includes the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, Adoption Rhode Island, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Chapter, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District 1, Brown College Democrats, College Democrats of Rhode Island, Fertility Within Reach, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, LGBTQ Action Rhode Island, the National Association of Social Workers, Rhode Island Chapter, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, New England Surrogacy, NOW Rhode Island, Resolve New England, Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians, RI ACLU, Rhode Island Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, the Rhode Island Medical Society, Rhode Island State Nurses Association, TGI Network Rhode Island, Thundermist Health Center, and the WOMXN Project.

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Statement of Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality (RIPE)

As parents, families, community members, and organizations advocating for the legal security of all children and families in Rhode Island, we are thrilled with today’s vote by the House Committee on Judiciary to advance the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act.

We are grateful for the work done by lead House sponsor Representative Carol McEntee and her co-sponsors, as well as the members of the House Committee on Judiciary. They arrived at a collaborative bill that centers the needs of Rhode Island’s children and incorporates the perspective of the many stakeholders who care about Rhode Island children and families – including parents, community members and the Family Court. We also thank lead Senate Sponsor Erin Lynch Prata who led a similar effort in the Senate earlier this year.

With the ongoing risks of COVID-19, the need to ensure that all children in Rhode Island have access to the protections of legal parentage could not be more urgent. The Uniform Parentage Act will provide that security.   

We are hopeful that the when the full House meets on July 16 they will follow the lead of the House Committee on Judiciary and pass this important legislation to support justice and equality for all children and families in Rhode Island.

Click to learn more about the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act!

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We have a real chance to make sure Rhode Island law provides equal legal protection to all families – but we need you to contact your Representative today.

GLAD has been working with our partners at Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality and LGBTQ ActionRI to update Rhode Island parentage law so that it is clear, equitable, and provides legal protection for all families, including LGBTQ families.

Right now, RI family law – which is over 40 years old – has substantial holes that leave children vulnerable. Children born into LGBTQ families lack equal access to the protections of legal parentage. And non-birth parents have to go through an expensive, intrusive process to be fully secured as parents to their kids.

For the first time in our three-year legislative effort, we are very close to the finish line. We can’t give up, and we need your help to pass H 7541.

Please call or email your state Representative today to let them know passing the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act (H 7541) is a priority to you.

We need you to call today even if you have reached out in the past – and even if you know your Representative already supports the bill.

We need a collective push that creates urgency on this issue at the statehouse.

We need everyone in the House to know that people care about protecting children and establishing parentage fairly and equally, especially in a dangerous pandemic.

Contact your Representative today and ask them to let the Speaker know they want the Parentage Act (H 7541) passed this session!

Your help will ensure equality in parentage law for all Rhode Islander families.

Sample email to your Representative:

Dear Rep. [Name],

I am writing to urge you to support passage of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act (RIUPA), H 7541, this session.

This is the year to get this done. Rhode Island children can’t wait, especially given a pandemic that puts the lives of many people in jeopardy.

Families are formed in many diverse ways in our state, and all children need and deserve the security of a legal tie to their parents. We need a parentage act that follows best practice, includes input from the experts who have a deep understanding of parentage law, and is in line with models from other states and the 2017 Uniform Parentage Act.

I am grateful to see the commitment from so many in the House, including leadership, to pass the RIUPA. At the Committee hearing parents and experts shared their compelling testimony about the urgent need to update our 40-year-old parentage law this session. I hope you will take a moment to watch that testimony, which is available on the Capitol TV and Uprise RI websites, if you haven’t already. I also encourage you to read the February 28 cover story in the Providence Journal: It’s time to rewrite R.I.’s parentage law, advocates say and the Mothers’ Day OpEd from Dr. Elana Hyasaka: My Turn: Elana Hayasaka: Legal security for all families in a crisis.

Our laws should serve and protect all children. And we are so close to the finish line. Passing a clear, consistent and constitutional RIUPA this session that is in line with other states and the 2017 UPA will remove obstacles that hurt kids, will make Rhode Island law fair for LGBTQ families, and will create clarity and consistency for everyone concerned with the wellbeing of children.

Thank you for your consideration,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]

To learn more about the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, click here.

Parents and Advocates Call for Comprehensive Parentage Reform to Protect All Rhode Island Children

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February 26, 2020

Contact:
Amanda Johnston, GLAD | 617-417-7769 | ajohnston@glad.org
RIPE Coalition Member Wendy Becker | 401-477-4154

Parents and Advocates Call for Urgently Needed Comprehensive Parentage Reform to Protect All Rhode Island Children

Parents, family law experts, and advocates spoke out at the State House today calling for passage of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act with key amendments to ensure the final bill is best practice and constitutional.

Providence – As the House Committee on Judiciary prepared to hear testimony on H 7541, the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act (RIUPA), introduced by lead sponsor Rep. Carol McEntee, parents, family law experts, and other advocates gathered in the State House today to speak out on the urgent need to pass comprehensive parentage reform this session and provide an equal path to parentage for all children.

“My family and I have been standing in front of legislators advocating for an updated parentage law for the past 3 years – just about long as my son Eli, has been alive,” said Sara Watson, M.D. “When Eli was born, I had no presumed parental rights. Not one. I was not his birth parent and I wasn’t able to put my name on his birth certificate before we left the hospital. I had to spend eight agonizing months going through a burdensome process to adopt my son. During that time, he was denied the security of a legal tie to one of his parents. I couldn’t make legal decisions for Eli, add him as a beneficiary on my insurance or pick him up from daycare. I couldn’t automatically utilize the parental leave Rhode Island guarantees for new parents. Rhode Island’s outdated law might even have denied me custody if something had happened to my partner, Anna, before the adoption was finalized. It breaks my heart to think what might have happened to Eli had that been the case.”

“I have the unique experience both of going through the drawn-out, expensive and invasive “2nd parent adoption” process following my first child’s birth and of being presumed the legal co-parent at my second child’s birth,” said Aarav Sundaresh, father of two young children, Dhruva and Dara. “I am transgender, and our first child was born before my gender transition. Experiencing both of these scenarios demonstrates the painful irony of Rhode Island’s current legal pathways to parentage. I am the same person, experiencing very different situations. The law needs to ensure equality for LGBTQ parents so they can establish their parentage like other families, including through a voluntary acknowledgement of parentage. All children– including children born through assisted reproduction– need a route to secure their parentage. Experiencing both of these scenarios demonstrates the painful irony of Rhode Island’s current legal pathways to parentage. I am the same person, experiencing very different situations. The law needs to ensure equality for LGBTQ parents so they can establish their parentage like other families, including through a voluntary acknowledgement of parentage. All children– including children born through assisted reproduction– need a route to secure their parentage.”

“When my daughter June was born, she was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit,” said Moira Hinderer. “I saw her for one blurry second and then underwent an emergency hysterectomy and was incapacitated. In the meantime, June’s other mother Hillary had no legal standing as a parent. Her second-parent adoption would not be complete for three months and her name was not on the birth certificate. Thankfully, the staff let Hillary into the NICU with June, but since I couldn’t give her permission to make medical decisions, the NICU team had to do what they thought was best, which was to intubate her. To say it was incredibly stressful doesn’t begin to describe it. While June is now a healthy and happy 8-year-old, we still think about what could have happened had the hospital staff not been supportive. Families like ours should not be at the mercy of chance.”

Rhode Island parentage law has not kept pace with how contemporary families are formed. The law was last updated over 40 years ago, and only two states, Mississippi and Kentucky, have laws that are as out of date. The current law is unconstitutional, places unnecessary, costly and often humiliating burdens on parents who must adopt their own children, and leaves many children vulnerable. Rhode Island’s current parentage law does not provide equal protection to children of unmarried parents, or children born through assisted reproduction. While Rhode Island allows surrogacy, current law also provides no protections for children born through surrogacy.

“In my work at GLAD and as a family lawyer, I have seen the tragic impact of outdated laws,” said Polly Crozier, Senior Staff Attorney at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. “I have seen children effectively kidnapped and separated from loving non-legal parents. I have seen non-biological parents run to court for protection so that their child doesn’t go into the foster care system. No child or parent should have to worry about the loss of this most precious and foundational relationship.”

The Senate version of the RIUPA, S 2136A introduced by lead sponsor Sen. Erin Lynch Prata, passed unanimously on February 11. The House is currently considering its version of the bill, H 7541.

“Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality supports the passage of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, with key amendments proposed by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders,” said Julie Keller, parent and RIPE coalition member. “With these amendments, the RIUPA will update Rhode Island law to be best practice and constitutional, provide clarity and consistency on who can be a parent, and protect all Rhode Island children.”

For more information including a fact sheet on the Rhode Island Parentage Act, stories from impacted families, and an updated supporter list visit www.gladlaw.org/ripe.

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality (RIPE) is a coalition of parents and organizations working to ensure Rhode Island parentage law is constitutional and protects all children. In addition to numerous Rhode Island families, RIPE includes: the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys; ACLU Rhode Island; Adoption Rhode Island; the American Academy of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Chapter; American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District 1; Brown College Democrats; College Democrats of Rhode Island; Fertility Within Reach; GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders; LGBTQ Action Rhode Island; the National Association of Social Workers, Rhode Island Chapter, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England; New England Surrogacy; NOW Rhode Island; Resolve: the National Infertility Association; Resolve New England; Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians; Rhode Island Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom; the Rhode Island Medical Society; Rhode Island State Nurses Association; TGI Network Rhode Island; Thundermist Health Center; and the WOMXN Project.

Rhode Island Parentage Act Hearing

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Join the Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality coalition and supporters from across the state for a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act (H754). Wear purple to the hearing to show your support!

This legislation will update Rhode Island’s parentage law for the first time in over 40 years and provide much needed protections for Rhode Island children and families who don’t currently have a way to secure their parent-child relationships. Learn more here.

RSVP and share with your friends on Facebook!

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality Statement on House Introduction of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act

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For Immediate Release

February 13, 2020

Contact:

RIPE Coalition Member Wendy Becker; 401-477-4154
Amanda Johnston, GLAD, 617-417-7769; ajohnston@glad.org

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality Statement on House Introduction of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act

Providence –Yesterday, the Rhode Island House of Representatives introduced H 7541, The Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act (RIUPA)

“We are pleased to see the House moving forward on urgently needed updates to Rhode Island’s outdated parentage law, which leaves too many children vulnerable and without a path to legal parentage,” said Julie Keller, Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality coalition member and parent. “All of our children deserve the security of a legal tie to their parents. Current law leaves many families unprotected and discriminates against children based on the circumstances of their birth. While the bill introduced in the House goes a long way toward addressing children’s needs, we do have concerns about some language in the bill that does not follow best practices and creates confusion, which may create gaps in protections. We look forward to working with the House to address these important concerns and to ensure that Rhode Island passes a model parentage law this session that fully protects all Rhode Island children.”

Earlier this week, the Rhode Island Senate voted unanimously to pass its version of the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, S2136 Sub A.

The Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act passed by the Senate was supported by numerous Rhode Island families, the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, Adoption Rhode Island, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Chapter, Brown College Democrats, College Democrats of Rhode Island, Fertility Within Reach, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, LGBTQ Action Rhode Island, the National Association of Social Workers, Rhode Island Chapter, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, New England Surrogacy, NOW Rhode Island, Resolve New England, Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians, Rhode Island Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, the Rhode Island Medical Society, Rhode Island State Nurses Association, TGI Network Rhode Island, Thundermist Health Center, and the WOMXN Project.

For more information about the Rhode Island Uniform Parentage Act, including a fact sheet and an updated supporter list visit www.gladlaw.org/ripe. To speak to parents who have been impacted by Rhode Island’s outdated parentage law, contact Wendy Becker at 401-477-4154.

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Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality (RIPE) is a coalition of parents and organizations working to ensure Rhode Island parentage law is constitutional and protects all children.

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality Cheers Unanimous Senate Passage of Rhode Island Parentage Act

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February 12, 2020

Contact:
Amanda Johnston, GLAD | 617-417-7769 | ajohnston@glad.org
RIPE Coalition Member Wendy Becker | 401-477-4154

The Rhode Island Senate voted unanimously yesterday to pass S2136 Sub A, the Rhode Island Parentage Act (RIPA). RIPA, introduced in the Senate by lead sponsor Erin Lynch Prata, would update Rhode Island’s outdated parentage law to provide all Rhode Island children equal access to the protections of legal parentage. The bill provides clear standards for determining parentage; improves access, efficiency and consistency in the courts; and ensures state law is constitutional, complies with federal law, and reflects the full diversity of Rhode Island families.

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality, a coalition of families and organizations working to ensure Rhode Island parentage law protects all children, issued the following statement on the Senate vote:

“We are thrilled to see the Senate’s strong support for Rhode Island children and families, and for the necessary, best practice parentage reforms contained in S 2136 Sub A. Rhode Island’s parentage law was last updated over 40 years ago – only Kentucky and Mississippi have laws that are as out of date. The law has not kept up with the reality of children’s lives and needs today. All our children deserve the security of a legal tie to their parents. We are grateful to the Senate for working to ensure we have model legislation in Rhode Island that promotes our children’s health, safety, and well-being. We look forward to working next with the House to finally pass the Parentage Act this year so that all Rhode Island children are protected.”

RIPA establishes clear paths to parentage in Rhode Island that reflect the many ways contemporary families are formed, including children born through assisted reproduction and surrogacy. The bill is drawn from model, best practice legislation, and incorporates the input of key stakeholders, including experts on child support, vital statistics, and the Family Court.

In addition to numerous parents and community members, the Rhode Island Parentage Act is supported by the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, Adoption Rhode Island, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Rhode Island Chapter, Fertility Within Reach, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, LGBTQ Action Rhode Island, the National Association of Social Workers, Rhode Island Chapter, New England Surrogacy, NOW Rhode Island, the Providence Human Relations Commission, Resolve New England, Rhode Island Academy of Family Physicians, Rhode Island Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, The Rhode Island Medical Society TGI Network Rhode Island, Thundermist Health Center, and the WOMXN Project.

For more information including a fact sheet on the Rhode Island Parentage Act, stories from impacted families, and an updated supporter list visit www.gladlaw.org/ripe

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality is a coalition of Rhode Island families and partner organizations working to ensure Rhode Island parentage law protects all children.

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality Coalition Launch

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December 17, 2019

Contact:
Amanda Johnston | 617-417-7769 | ajohnston@glad.org

Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality Calls for Fixing State’s Outdated Parentage Law So Children Aren’t Left Vulnerable

Parents and advocates launch new coalition to pass comprehensive parentage reform, saying families can’t keep waiting for the law to change

Providence – Today a coalition of Rhode Island parents, supported by stakeholder organizations and family advocates, announced the launch of Rhode Islanders for Parentage Equality (RIPE). RIPE’s goal is to ensure every child and family in Rhode Island has equal access to establishing the critical protections of parentage by passing, in the 2020 legislative session, comprehensive legislation based on the bipartisan model Uniform Parentage Act 2017 (UPA).

The RIPE website explains the problems with Rhode Island’s outdated parentage law, highlights stories from families who have been impacted by its limitations, and provides a fact sheet on the urgent need to pass legislation to update the law this session.

Parentage is the legal parent-child relationship from which numerous rights and responsibilities flow. Securing legal parentage provides children critical security and stability.

“Too many children and families are vulnerable in Rhode Island because they have no clear route to establish their parentage,” said Julie Keller, parent and RIPE coalition member. “RIPE was founded by parents who have experienced firsthand the stress and anguish of not being able to establish a clear legal tie to their children. That creates huge barriers to doing fundamental things like making school or medical decisions, and it forces parents into cost-prohibitive and invasive legal proceedings simply to protect our children. To put it simply: Rhode Island’s current law is illogical, unfair, and unconstitutional, and it puts children and families, like mine, at risk.”

Rhode Island currently has no statutes clarifying parentage for children born through assisted reproduction and no statutes regarding parentage through surrogacy. Families are more diverse in modern times, and Rhode Island law hasn’t kept pace. Rhode Island parentage law hasn’t been updated in over 40 years. Only two states –Kentucky and Mississippi – have family laws as old as Rhode Island.

“My family was in legal limbo for 8 excruciating months after our son was born,” said Sara Watson, who with her partner Anna has advocated for updates to the law to protect families like theirs for the past several years. “We planned for our child together every step of the way. But when he was born I learned that as the non-birth parent, I had no legal relationship to him and no path to establish my parentage in the hospital like other families do. Instead, I had to adopt my own son. For 8 months, my son only had one legal parent. Should anything have happened to Anna, my son could have ended up in foster care. During that time. I desperately tried to secure recognition as his parent, which meant that we were subjected to a lengthy, invasive, and expensive adoption process. That included having to put an ad in the paper to notify an anonymous sperm donor of the pending adoption, opening up the possibility of a complete stranger challenging my adoption of our son. We need to update Rhode Island law now to make sure no family has to go through what mine did ever again.”

Updating state law based on the UPA would bring best-practice parentage law to Rhode Island. Such legislation, filed last year as the Rhode Island Parentage Act and passed unanimously in the Senate, (a) fills the gaps for children born through assisted reproduction and surrogacy, (b) ensures equality for LGBTQ parents to establish their parentage like other families, (c)provides a clear standard for courts to resolve competing claims of parentage; and (d) improves access, efficiency and consistency in Rhode Island family courts.

RIPE is a coalition of concerned Rhode Island parents and families. Supporting organizations include Adoption Rhode Island, LGBTQ Action Rhode Island, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), the National Association of Social Workers Rhode Island Chapter, New England Surrogacy, NOW Rhode Island, Resolve New England, TGI Network, Thundermist Health Center, and the Womxn Project.

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders Welcomes New Board Members

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(Boston, MA) GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is thrilled to announce the appointment of three new board members: Jessyca Feliciano, Matthew McGuirk, and Spencer Icasiano. These individuals have served the LGBTQ community for many years and bring robust experience in the areas of corporate diversity, financial development, and technology user experience.

“With their commitment to GLAD’s mission and work, Jessyca, Matthew, and Spencer’s diverse talents will add to the Board’s strength, making us even more ready to face the challenges ahead. We are excited to welcome three people with such varied professional backgrounds and passion for LGBTQ equality,” said Executive Director Janson Wu.

Jessyca Feliciano is a Vice President of Employee Relations at State Street Corporation, helping manage the relationships between the organization and its employees. Prior to joining State Street, Jessyca held positions of increasing responsibility in corporate and non-profit organizations, most recently with Mass Mutual as a Human Resources Business Partner supporting the Data Science and Digital Design corporate groups and their leaders. In addition to her primary responsibilities, Jessyca also served as a diversity and inclusion liaison, holding the business accountable for implementing diversity best practices and strategies. She started her career in social work working with at risk youth in underprivileged communities, always focusing on creating opportunities of inclusion, which is still something very close to her heart. Jessyca earned a Master of Education with a focus on Organizational Development and Leadership from Cambridge College’s Graduate School of Education, and a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Roberts Wesleyan College.

Matthew McGuirk is a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley. He has worked in asset & wealth management for over 20 years, currently focusing his practice on serving the LGBTQ community. In his public service life, he serves on several boards & committees that support this community and is honored to begin work on the Development Committee of GLAD’s Board. Matt particularly looks forward to building bridges between organizations with which he has ties, such as the MA LGBT Chamber of Commerce where he is a founding partner, and other non-profits such as Community Research Initiative where he is a member of the Board; Fenway Health where he is a member of the Board of Visitors; and the Human Rights Campaign, where he is a member of the New England Steering Committee and Co-Chair of the Federal Club for New England. Outside of his advocacy work, Matt also enjoys theater, and serves on the Board of Directors of New Repertory Theater. While he is committed to all areas of GLAD’s work, he has a particular interest in protecting children and the elderly and has been involved with organizations such as the LGBT Community Center and SAGE. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, and holds an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown University and a Master of Science in Financial Planning from Bentley University.

Spencer Icasiano is a product designer at HubSpot, and a user experience specialist who has held previous positions at Care.com and Wayfair. Spencer has consulted on and designed tech platforms that create seamless experiences for clients and customers. In addition to their day job, they work as a contributing writer for 90.9 WBUR, covering primarily QTPOC (queer and trans people of color) artists and activists whose cultural impacts are directly shaping the future of Boston. The beginning of Spencer’s connection to GLAD was as a resource – GLAD provided support to Spencer through a violent and transphobic landlord situation, as well as gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment instances in their career. Spencer’s natural inquisitiveness and pursuit of justice has spilled over into other areas of their life and thanks in part to GLAD’s impact they’ve been able to successfully advocate for employee environment and policy improvements and consulted on inclusive hiring practices at public tech companies. Spencer’s public speaking skills have been cultivated at professional conferences, engineering bootcamps, and local institutions—from world-class universities to Fortune 100 corporations—where they lead talks and workshops on topics of cultural competency and organizational change. Spencer earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Writing from Emerson College.

Jessyca, Matthew and Spencer join current board members Joyce Kauffman (President), Darian Butcher (Vice President), Marlene Seltzer (Treasurer), Leila Bailey-Stewart, Edward Byrne, Francisco Cabas, Martha Holt Castle, Fred Csibi-Levin, Liz Doherty, Shane Dunn, Joseph Garland, George Hastie, David Hayter, Dianne Phillips, Lee Swislow, and Richard Yurko.

Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.

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Imagine being at the hospital as your child is born and worrying they might not be able to go home with you if something were to happen to your partner who had given birth. Imagine not being able to pick your child up from daycare, or take them to see a doctor. Imagine something happening to your partner and child services seeking to take custody because your child has no other legal parent. These are all real concerns that new parents have when they are not legally recognized—and new parents have enough on their plate as it is in the best of circumstances.

“I was not his birth parent and I wasn’t able to put my name on his birth certificate before we left the hospital. A birth certificate is the first and sometimes only legal link that a parent has with his/her child. It is a very, very big deal. My partner and I took the exact same steps as our “straight” infertile friends in conceiving, but we were denied the ability to put both of our names on the birth certificate just on the basis of our sex alone.”

Access to legal parentage shouldn’t depend on a family’s economic means, on whether the parents are of the same gender or different genders, or on how that family is formed. But our state laws haven’t kept up with the different ways that we form our families, including using assisted reproductive technology or having children before or without getting married. Even in New England, where we benefit from robust anti-discrimination laws, there remain significant gaps in parentage laws that force parents to undergo time-consuming, expensive and invasive processes in order to protect their relationship with their children. Many of these laws haven’t been updated since the 1970s.

Using the Uniform Parentage Act of 2017 (UPA) as model legislation, GLAD Senior Staff Attorney Patience Crozier has been collaborating with other advocates to advance parentage law reform in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. The UPA and the state-specific bills modeled on it update the laws’ understanding of family to reflect present-day reality and to ensure accessible and nondiscriminatory paths to establishing parentage. This includes ensuring that LGBTQ families using assisted reproduction have access to parentage through the Voluntary Acknowledgement of Parentage process, which enables parents to secure their legal relationships to their children immediately at birth and without going to court. These reforms resonate with so many in the LGBTQ community and beyond who simply seek equal and fair means to secure their parent-child relationships.

The Rhode Island Parentage Act (RIPA) had substantial momentum and support in the 2019 legislative session. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate and had considerable support in the House where it was also poised to pass until the Chief Judge of the Family Court intervened unexpectedly. Despite having been consulted for his input prior to the bill’s filing, the Chief Judge engaged only at the last minute to request further study. The House created a study commission that will convene this fall to review the RIPA and move these critically important reforms forward. As a community, Rhode Island is galvanized to move this legislation forward and to ensure all children and families have equal access to parentage. GLAD will participate on the study commission, and remains committed to this legislative effort, and to sharing the stories of families who have experienced the difficult and painful impact of outdated parentage laws.

Parents Sara and Anna experienced the effects of Rhode Island’s outdated law firsthand when they started their family. Their son, Eli, was conceived using assisted reproduction. Because they were unmarried, Sara, as the non-birth parent, had no presumed legal parental connection to Eli at birth, and no route to establish her parentage.

“I was not his birth parent and I wasn’t able to put my name on his birth certificate before we left the hospital, which I know, sounds like a formality but it is not. A birth certificate is the first and sometimes only legal link that a parent has with his/her child. It is a very, very big deal. My partner and I took the exact same steps as our “straight” infertile friends in conceiving, but we were denied the ability to put both of our names on the birth certificate just on the basis of our sex alone.”

It took 8 months for Sara to adopt her own son – an excruciatingly long time to be in legal limbo, particularly when it comes to your child. What’s more, during all those months, Sara and Anna were subjected to the lengthy, invasive, and at times arbitrary steps of the adoption process, including putting an ad in the paper to notify the anonymous sperm donor of the pending adoption, in case he wanted to challenge the termination of his “parental rights.”

Rhode Island LGBTQ parents aren’t alone in seeking legislation to protect their families. Maine and Vermont both have passed comprehensive parentage reform, but the rest of New England has a ways to go.

Though Massachusetts now allows same-gender parents to sign a VAP, there are still barriers to establishing legal parentage within the Commonwealth. The MA Parentage Act is a sensible update to MA law that ensures all children and families have equal access to establishing parentage, and corrects discrimination that exists in the current state law. A public hearing on the MPA took place in early September.

In Connecticut, a coalition is working on draft legislation to update the state’s parentage laws, and we are hopeful that legislation will be filed in 2020. Similar efforts are also underway in New Hampshire, where statutes do exist to protect children born through ART and surrogacy, but where gaps in the law still still exist.

Love makes families, but we all agree the law needs to protect them. Continuing to operate with outdated, decades-old statutes leaves some children and families unprotected. GLAD is committed to ensuring that all children and families have access to the fundamental protection of legal parentage.