Legal Reforms To Empower Same-Sex Parents

Friday, 22 December 2023 06:55

Same-sex couples in Jersey could soon be granted the same parental rights as mixed-sex couples.

A new proposition has been submitted to update the island's laws which will be debated in the States in early February 2024.

Assistant Children's Minister Deputy Louise Doublet says she is delighted to be part of a government that has pressed on with this legislation and is seeing this through.

She told Channel 103: "I think even though the work took such a long time and it was such a big piece of work, we have persisted with it because the LGBTQ+ community is really important to this government."

If approved by the States Assembly, it means both same-sex parents will be added to the birth certificates of their child and will automatically have parental responsibility.

Alongside this, parents whose child is born via surrogate will be able to have legal parent status and responsibility as well, through a new court order.

Other areas of concern are also being improved, such as step-parents having the opportunity to acquire parental responsibility with agreement.

Mixed-sex civil partners will also have legal parent status and responsibility in the same way as their married counterparts.

Deputy Doublet says the proposed changes will mean Jersey is meeting more of its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.