State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Mass. high court grants parental rights to mother’s former same-sex partner

The Boston Globe: In a decision that follows a national trend, the state’s highest court extended parental rights to people in same-sex relationships who never married and have no biological connection to a child, but can show that they actively took part in the child’s upbringing since birth.

The court found that a person’s lack of biological ties to a child should not disqualify him or her from being a parent. Advocates say the unanimous ruling protects the rights of all children born to unwed couples.

It is the first such ruling in Massachusetts, but it follows a handful of decisions in other states extending parental rights to same-sex couples.

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