U.K. Court Rejects Adoption Rights Reversal

Northern Ireland health minister Edwin Poots lost his challenge to overturn a court ruling approving adoption rights for same-sex and unmarried couples.

Since the U.K. Supreme Court rejected his challenge, the United Kingdom will change its policy that allowed single LGBT parents to adopt children in Northern Ireland, but not those in a civil partnership, the Belfast Telegraph reports. In Great Britain, unmarried couples can be considered for adoption rights, but in Northern Ireland, only unmarried singles and married couples can apply for adoption rights.

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission worked to overturn the law with an unnamed woman who wanted to enter a civil partnership and legally adopt her partner's child. In June, the Court of Appeals in Belfast ruled in the commission's favor, and against Poots. His department's application to appeal to the Supreme Court was denied Tuesday.