Women in same-sex relationships can now register both their names on the birth certificate of a child conceived as a result of fertility treatment.
Female couples not in a civil partnership but receiving fertility treatment may also both be registered.
The law change applies to female couples in England and Wales who were having fertility treatment on or after 6 April 2009.
Previously, the mother's female partner could not be registered as a parent.
But the change in the law confers legal parenthood on the mother's female partner.
According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, there were 728 lesbians who underwent in vitro fertilisation (IVF) between 1999 and 2006.
Read more @ BBC News
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Am I the only one who thinks this to be weird?
If you choose a homosexual lifestyle, nature forfeits you kids.
On the other hand, the child does not deserve to be condemned for the choices made by the parents...
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
poor child.
I can't believe how far this is going.
Why are they allowing this?
I thought the Birth Certificate had to quote only the biological parents of the child?
I wonder what children who are born with 'parents' who lesbian/gay feel about it. Won't this make it more difficult to track down the father if the child wanted to in the future?
I think she's being too idealistic there.
I've just listened to the video by Ruth Hunt on the BBC site on this.
Don't social services have to go and assess couples to see if they can adopt anyway?
And how does six months make a difference to knowing who the parents are or not? Having signed your name on the birth certificate doesn't make a change to the sense of being in a family.
I don't really have a clue, but I think the only thing it (having the name on the birth certificate) does change is the sense of "ownership"...
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
Well I feel that the child has a RIGHT to know their biological parents, and that right shouldn't be taken away from them. Also girls and guys need a male and female role model from somewhere, otherwise they won't know how to act or will think the opposite sex is evil.
Whether we like it or not, homosexual relationships have 3 people in them, are LGs happy with that?
“Before death takes away what you are given, give away whatever there is to give.”
Mawlana Jalal ud Din Rumi
What's wrong with single-parent families?
What's the difference between gay relationships and people who divorce and then re-marry (in both cases the kid would have 'two mums' or 'two dads')?
Don't just do something! Stand there.
Nothing - especially if the two parent version involves one of the parents being constantly absent through employment.
Saying that, I doubt anyone would say that a single parent family is ideal - the burden of two people lies on one, and while it can be carried out with success, it is more difficult.
I would assume both of those to be similar, except for in the latter, atleast the birth certificate would not be lying in the case of where the child wants to track down its real biological parents.
In both cases, there could also be a difference of morals/ethics preached to the individual.
I would really want to know if the rates of homosexuality vary when the parents are heterosexual Vs homosexual.
The main/only (as far as I can think right now) issue I have with this is that the information on the birth certificate may be considered either a lie or obfuscation. But is that an issue at all?
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.
If God did not allow, murder could not happen.
(besides, the artificial insemination is not [yet?] done from two eggs.)
"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.