State senator says Massachusetts parentage laws need an update

13:41

September 19, 2023

Khari Thompson
Tiziana Dearing

Anna Ford, left, and her partner, Sara Watson, play with their son Eli at home in the village of Saunderstown, in Narragansett, R.I. Three years after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that gave same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide, a patchwork of outdated state laws governing who can be a legal parent presents obstacles for many LGBTQ couples who start a family, lawyers say. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Can you imagine having to adopt your own child just to ensure you have parental rights for them?

That's a choice some families face in Massachusetts, where parentage laws don't guarantee equality in parental rights regardless of gender, marital status or the circumstance of birth.

State Sen. Julian Cyr joins the show to talk about how the Massachusetts Parentage Act, which he is co-sponsoring, would change that.

This segment aired on September 19, 2023.

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