AUSTIN, Texas — Two Texas state lawmakers have filed bills seeking to allow adopted children to have the names of both parents listed on their supplemental birth certificates, regardless of the parents’ gender.
The Dallas Voice reports that Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) and Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) filed companion bills Wednesday to amend the Texas Health and Safety Code, which currently denies accurate birth certificates to same-sex parents of adopted children, creating obstacles in obtaining a passport or Social Security card, or in registering for school.
“Texas families come in all shapes and sizes, including those formed by adoption. An adopted child needs to have a birth certificate that accurately reflects the child’s family,“ said Anchia. “Texas laws should protect and support the rights of children and families — not hinder them.”
This will be the fourth consecutive legislative session that Anchia has filed this legislation, and the first time the bill has been introduced in the Senate.
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