Parentage Act Secures Major Victory with Final Enactment by House and Senate

Governor Healey Has Voiced Support for Historic Legislation That Will Protect All Massachusetts Children and Families

BOSTON – After years of advocacy, the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate early Thursday morning enacted an Закон об обеспечении юридического равенства родителей, более известный как Закон о родительстве в Массачусетсе. The child-centered bill, which updates Massachusetts’ forty-year-old parentage statutes to be inclusive of LGBTQ+ families, families formed through assisted reproduction, and families that include a де-факто or functional parent, now heads to Governor Maura Healey’s desk for her signature. Once signed into law, this historic legislation will ensure all children have equal access to the security of a legal parent-child relationship no matter the gender or marital status of their parents or how their family is formed. 

The bipartisan legislation was passed unanimously in both the House and Senate. Governor Healey has stated strong support for the bill.

“After more than seven years of advocacy, so many children and families in Massachusetts – and countless future generations – will now have the basic protections that legal parentage provides for children,” said Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD). “We thank Massachusetts legislators, especially the bill co-sponsors and the leaders of the House and Senate, for recognizing the importance of parentage equality and making it a priority to enact this bill.  We are now eager for Governor Healey to sign the MPA into law so that Massachusetts can ensure security for all children and families.” 

The MPA will update Massachusetts statutes to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. Legal parentage is critical for children’s wellbeing and security and this bill will ensure that all children can access the security of legal parentage regardless of the circumstances of their birth or the makeup of their family.

Currently, Massachusetts is the only state in New England without comprehensive statutory protections on parentage. 

The bill’s bipartisan sponsors include Senators Julian Cyr (D) and Bruce Tarr (R), Representatives Sarah Peake (D), Hannah Kane (R), and Kay Khan (D). 

The Massachusetts Parentage Act is supported by a coalition of parents, families and over 60 organizations: 

AllPaths Family Building, Американская академия адвокатов по усыновлению и вспомогательной репродукции, Американский колледж акушеров и гинекологов, Массачусетс, Американский союз защиты гражданских свобод (ACLU) Массачусетса, Американское общество репродуктивной медицины, Ассоциация семейных и примирительных судов – отделение Массачусетса, BAGLY, Baystate Health, Бостонская клиника лечения бесплодия ЭКО, Бостонский медицинский центр, Cape Cod Healthcare, Inc., Центр репродуктивных прав, Детский юридический центр Массачусетса, Детская лига Массачусетса, Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation, Citizens for Juvenile Justice, COLAGE, Комитет общественных юридических услуг, Conceiveabilities, Csed Inc. (Центр суррогатного материнства и донорства яйцеклеток), Eastern Bank Foundation, Family Equality, Fenway Health, Fertility Within Reach, Friends of Children, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Судебная палата семейного права Большого Бостона, PFLAG Большого Бостона, Human Rights Campaign, Jewish Alliance for Law & Social Action, Kauffman Law and Mediation, Keshet, Mass General Brigham, Mass NOW, Mass PPD Fund, Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, Massachusetts Commission on Status Women, Massachusetts LGBTQ Lawyers, Massachusetts LGBTQ Political Caucus, Massachusetts Medical Society, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Trans Political Coalition, MassEquality, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, Modern Family Law, Bruce Hale, Esq., Movement Advancement Project, National Association of Social Workers–MA Chapter, National Center for Lesbian Rights, New England Fertility Society, New England Surrogate, Nichols, Delisle & Lightholder, OUT MetroWest, Planned Лига родительства Массачусетса, Progressive Massachusetts, Reproductive Equity Now, RESOLVE: Национальная ассоциация по борьбе с бесплодием, Roxbury Youth Works, SeedTrust, SEIU 509, Transhealth, Бостонский фонд, UMass Memorial Health и Институт Уильямса по вопросам сексуальной ориентации и гендерной идентичности, права и государственной политики.

Learn more about the Massachusetts Parentage Act