A landmark ruling by a federal judge last year that required Indiana to list the names of same-sex parents on birth certificates will be appealed by Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill.
“There is no conceivable important governmental interest that would justify the different treatment of female spouses of artificially-inseminated birth mothers from the male spouses of artificially-inseminated birth mothers,” wrote District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt in her 2016 ruling. The case was brought by eight lesbian couples who sought to end the “discriminatory” practice of naming the birth mother and either the biological father or an adoptive parent on a child’s birth certificate.
They argued successfully that the state discriminated against them by forcing them to undergo lengthy and costly adoption processes in order to be recognized as the legal parent of their own child.
Freedom Indiana condemned the appeal by the A.G.: “By putting the interest of children first, Judge Pratt’s ruling helps to ensure that all loving and capable parents are to be treated equally under the law, including same-sex couples,” said campaign manager Chris Paulsen. “Sadly, Attorney General Hill’s decision puts politics ahead of LGBT families, and it further damages the state’s reputation as an open and welcoming place for all.”
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