The Supreme Court’s decision to take up gay marriage has important repercussions for some same sex couples that have adopted children.
The announcement that the Supreme Court of the United States will make a ruling on gay marriage later this year has been all over the media since Friday of last week. If you need to get up to speed on the specifics regarding the court’s decision to do so, please review this brief Huffington Post article by author Ryan J. Reilly from 1/16/15.
The Supreme Court’s decision is one of particular interest to Adoption STAR and several Adoption STAR clients who share important similarities – they are all same sex couples that have adopted children who were born in Ohio.
Current Ohio law does not allow same sex couples to have both of their names listed simultaneously on their child’s birth certificate. Ohio will allow one parent in a same sex couple to be listed, but not both. This law applies to couples who live in states were same sex marriage is legal (now 36 states) but have adopted a child (or children) who were born in Ohio. Adoption STAR has taken a strong stand on this issue. As a matter of fact, Adoption STAR was listed as a plaintiff in a lawsuit brought against the State of Ohio back in February of 2014, along with several same sex couples, including agency clients Rob and Joe, a couple legally married in New York who adopted a child born in Ohio. Adoption STAR is proud to have stood along side these men before, during, and after the placement of their son…and we’ll continue to stand with them in the hope of a positive, family-affirming decision later this year.
Rob and Joe have become huge advocates for LGBTQ families who have been adversely affected by Ohio’s law. If you’d like to learn more about Rob and Joe’s story and how they’re trying to help the Supreme Court rule in favor of gay marriage for the sake of their family, please review the following links:
Adopted Child Doe and the Supreme Court Marriage Fight
Supreme Court Decision to Take Up Marriage Cases Heralds Likely End Game
We’re so thankful for Rob and Joe and the very public commitment they’ve made to educating people about the impact the Supreme Court’s ruling will have on their family and many other same sex couples and their families. Thank you, Rob and Joe!