MA Senate Unanimously Passes Parentage Act

MA Senate Unanimously Passes Parentage Act

Historic Bill Awaits Final Enactment Before Heading to Governor

The Massachusetts Senate today voted unanimously to pass an act to ensure legal parentage equality, better known as the Massachusetts Parentage Act, a historic piece of legislation that will protect LGBTQ+ families, and children born through surrogacy and assisted reproduction, in forming the legal bond of a parent-child relationship. The bill now awaits final enactment before it heads to Governor Maura Healey's desk for her signature. Governor Healey has stated strong support for the legislation.

"Today, Massachusetts took a major step forward in ensuring that all families are treated equally under our laws," said Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. "We are grateful to the many people, families, and advocates who have fought for years to get to this point. We thank the Senate leadership, Senate Sponsors Senators Julian Cyr and Bruce Tarr, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Jamie Eldridge and the many Senators on both sides of the aisle who voted unanimously to pass the MPA today. With this vote the Massachusetts Senate demonstrated that fairness under the law is for everyone. We look forward to seeing the Massachusetts Parentage Act enacted and signed into law soon."

The MPA updates Massachusetts statutes to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. This bill is critical to ensuring that all children can access the security of legal parentage, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, including through assisted reproduction and surrogacy.

Currently, Massachusetts is the only state in New England without comprehensive statutory protections on parentage.

The bill's bipartisan sponsors include Democrat Senator Julian Cyr, Republican Senator Bruce Tarr, Democrat Representative Sarah Peake, Republican Representative Hannah Kane, and Democratic Representative Kay Khan.

The Massachusetts Parentage Act is supported by a coalition of over 60 organization:

AllPaths Family Building, American Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Massachusetts, ACLU of Massachusetts, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts - MA Chapter, BAGLY, Baystate Health, Boston IVF Fertility Clinic, Boston Medical Center, Cape Cod Healthcare, Inc., Center for Reproductive Rights, Children's Law Center of MA, Children's League of Massachusetts, Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation, Citizens for Juvenile Justice, COLAGE, Committee for Public Counsel Services, Conceiveabilities, Csed Inc. (The Center for Surrogacy and Egg Donation), Eastern Bank Foundation, Family Equality, Fenway Health, Fertility Within Reach, Friends of Children, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), Greater Boston Family Law Inn of Courts, Greater Boston PFLAG, Human Rights Campaign, Jewish Alliance for Law & Social Action, Kauffman Law and Mediation, Keshet, Mass General Brigham, Mass NOW, Mass PPD Fund, Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association, Massachusetts LGBTQ Political Caucus, Massachusetts Medical Society, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Trans Political Coalition, MassEquality, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, Modern Family Law, Bruce Hale, Esq., Movement Advancement Project, National Association of Social Workers-MA Chapter, National Center for Lesbian Rights, New England Fertility Society, New England Surrogacy, Nichols, Delisle & Lightholder, OUT MetroWest, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Progressive Massachusetts, Reproductive Equity Now, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, Roxbury Youth Works, SeedTrust, SEIU 509, Transhealth, The Boston Foundation, UMass Memorial Health, and the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy.

Learn more about the MPA