Search Jobs

Gay Couple Fights for Names on Child's Birth Certificate

Melissa Gartner and Heather Gartner, a lesbian couple in Des Moines, Iowa, sued the state of Iowa when the Iowa Department of Public Health refused in 2009 to list both names on the birth certificate of their daughter, Mackenzie, whom Heather bore. Iowa District Judge Eliza Ovrom heard arguments in the case on November 7 and will issue a written ruling at a later date. Camilla Taylor, the Gartners' lawyer, argued that the state lists married men on birth certificates, even when it's impossible for them to be the biological father. She also cited the Iowa Supreme Court case that struck down a same-sex marriage ban in 2009. The unanimous ruling cited constitutional rights to basic fairness and equal protection. Among the benefits the high court said the marriage ban denied same-sex couples: the right of married couples to be the presumed parents of a child. Click here to read more.
 
 



INSIGHT Into Diversity