New
Jersey lesbian couple have birth certificate hearing

A New Jersey lesbian couple asked a judge Thursday to let them have both their names listed on the birth certificate of their baby boy, conceived through artificial insemination. The child, born Tuesday, currently has no parents listed on his birth certificate because 33-year-old Catherine O'Conor--his birth mother--and Stephanie DiVita refused to sign it. The New Jersey attorney general's office says the correct solution is for the 32-year-old DiVita to jointly adopt the boy with O'Conor. But the moms argue that would leave their son legally unprotected during the six to nine months an adoption process would take. If O'Conor were to die during that time, DiVita would have no rights to the child. Their attorney also suggested that the state's artificial insemination statute, making a husband the father of his wife's inseminated baby, should also apply to same-sex couples. The attorney general says that's up to the legislature. The Asbury Park Press reports that Judge Ronald Reisner scheduled another hearing for March 3 so both sides can submit further arguments about the potential harm to the couple and their baby while they pursue adoption. DiVita said she was disappointed, saying that the postponement puts "our life on hold." (Sirius OutQ News)