This Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to pass the Equal Protection for All Families Act (Assembly Bill 960). This important bill – authored by Assemblymember David Chiu and co-sponsored by Our Family Coalition, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Equality California – is expected to be voted on by the full Senate in two weeks and will continue to move towards the governor for signature. And we need YOU to make sure the Equal Protection for All Families Act becomes the law of the land.
At present, California’s laws regarding assisted reproduction are outdated and fail to recognize the diverse ways that families are formed and to provide legal protection and security for parents and children alike. Unmarried parents who use assisted reproduction to conceive children in the privacy of their home are not recognized as the legal parents of their children. The new bill would update the current assisted reproduction laws in the state to ensure parents and their children are not at risk and do not have to jump through unnecessary legal hoops in order to secure what should be a basic right.
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Allow unmarried people using assisted reproduction to be fully recognized as parents on the same terms as married parents.
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Remove the requirement that couples must involve a doctor when using assisted reproduction in order to ensure that the donor is not a parent.
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Provide clear direction for how egg and known sperm donors should be treated under California law; protecting both parents and donors from very real concerns.
“This bill is about granting recognition and economic access to all prospective parents, ” says Renata Moreira, Our Family Coalition’s Acting Executive Director.” AB 960 is going to particularly benefit lower income LGBT parents who will be able to use more affordable methods of assisted reproduction, and still be protected under California law.” By failing to provide legal protections for these families, the state is failing both parents and children. All families deserve equitable protection and recognition under the eyes of the law.
As we continue to advocate for the passage of AB960, we call on you – LGBTQ parents who may have been affected by the current discriminatory legislation and may be ready to speak out. Personal stories and testimony have a powerful impact on lawmakers and can play a key part for the decision to pass the Equal Protection for All Families Act. Specifically, Our Family Coalition is looking to connect with:
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Parents of any relationship recognition status who used home insemination, then had to terminate the donor’s rights and do a second parent adoption in order to be protected.
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Unmarried or unregistered domestic partnered couples using assisted reproductive technology to conceive who had to adopt to protect their parental rights.
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Potential donors who were afraid to support a friend or relative’s family formation due to the informality of the arrangement and the prohibitive costs of intervention by doctors or lawyers.
Do you recognize yourself or anyone you know in any of these descriptions?
Are you willing to share your story to help lawmakers make the right decision for families in California?
Please contact policy@ourfamily.org if you want to support for the Equal Protection for All Families Act and help shape the future of our families.
