PARENTAGE ACT S 1133 / H 1714 LEAD SPONSORS: SEN. BRUCE TARR AND REP. KAY KHAN Protecting children's parental relationships

Bill Summary Paths to Parentage Under the MPA There are many paths to parenthood and The MPA provides a path to parentage through many types of families in the Commonwealth, birth, adoption, acknowledgment, adjudication, but Massachusetts statutes have not kept pace genetics, assisted reproduction, surrogacy, de with modern science and the diversity of our facto parentage, and presumptions (including a families, leaving children vulnerable. marital presumption). The MPA provides clear standards for family The Massachusetts Parentage Act (MPA) courts to apply in order to establish parentage. updates Massachusetts statutes to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. Key Highlights of the MPA This bill is critical to ensuring that all children Ensures that children born through assisted can access the security of legal parentage, reproduction technology (such as in vitro regardless of the circumstances of their birth. fertilization) have a clear route to establish their parentage. This bill is based on the Uniform Parentage Provides clear standards for establishing Act (UPA), which serves as a uniform framework parentage through surrogacy. for ensuring the protection of the relationship Ensures equality for LGBTQ families so they can establish their parentage like other families, between parents and children. Originally passed including through a voluntary acknowledgement in 1973 to protect children born to unmarried of parentage people, the UPA was most recently revised and Provides a clear standard for courts to resolve approved in 2017. Every other New England competing claims of parentage state has comprehensive parentage protections Codifies parentage precedents from the in their statutes. Supreme Judicial Court Ensures greater efficiency and consistency in our courts and reduces unnecessary litigation

AS OF 7/2021, THE MPA IS SUPPORTED BY: MASSACHUSETTS Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys • American Society for Reproductive PARENTAGE ACT Medicine • Association of Family & Conciliation Courts MA • Alliance of LGBTQ Youth COALITION (BAGLY) • Boston IVF • The Center for Surrogacy & Egg Donation • Circle Surrogacy & Egg Donation • Citizens for Juvenile Justice • COLAGE • ConceiveAbilities • • Fenway If you wish to support the Health • Fertility Within Reach • Friends of Children • GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) • MPA or have any questions, visit Greater Boston Family Law American Inn of Court • Greater Boston PFLAG • Kauffman Law & massparentage.com or contact: Mediation • MA Gay & Lesbian Caucus • MA LGBTQ Bar Association • MassEquality • MA Transgender Political Coalition • Modern Family Law • NARAL Pro-Choice MA • National Kate Weldon LeBlanc at Association of Social Workers MA • New England Fertility Society • New England Surrogacy • Resolve New England Nichols, DeLisle & Lightholder P.C. • OUT MetroWest • Dr. Samuel Pang • Resolve New England [email protected]