Senator Mark Leno introduces bill to allow individuals to have more than two legal parents Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The family - consisting of two parents, whether same or different sex - could be a thing of the past in California. State senator Mark Leno has proposed legislation that would make it legal for a child to have multiple parents.
SB1476 is designed to make it easier for adults involved in three-parent relationships to play a role in a child's life. If an agreement could not be reached on issues such as custody and visitation rights, a judge could divide responsibilities. Opponents say this could have a negative impact on the family structure, in addition to creating a legal minefield over who has rights over a child, or who could claim the child for tax purposes.
If you’re in a three parent relationship, how would this change in legal status help you? How could this confuse matters – as in who has custody and visitation rights? Does this need to be legally defined? Or are you concerned this could confuse a child as to how many ‘parents’ they have?
GUESTS
Ed Howard, senior counsel for the Children’s Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law.
Assemblyman Donald Wagner, 70th Assembly District (Irvine)