Utah married lesbian couple sue to be recognised as legal parents
Angie and Kami Roe want to be legally recognised as the parents of their child.
The Roe’s conceived their child with the help of a sperm donor. Under Utah law, the husband of a woman who concieves in this way is automatically considered the child’s father. However, Angie is not considered the mother the child Kami gave birth to, despite being married to her.
They would be forced to undergo a time consuming and invasive adoption application instead. In their lawsuit against the Utah Department of Health and the Office of Vital Statistics, they argue that this is in violation of their right to equal treatment and protection under the law.
Tom Hudachko of the Department of Health said: “While we have not had the opportunity to review today’s filing, we have been working for several months with both the ACLU and the plaintiffs in an attempt to reach a solution.
“Our hope is to resolve the issue at hand in a manner that serves the best interest of all parties.”
Angie Roe said in a statement: “Kami and I should not have to go through a time-consuming legal procedure to give our daughter the protection of having two legal parents. All we are asking is to be treated the same way that other married couples are already treated under state law.”
