Bill Allowing Child To Have More Than Two Parents Is Vetoed By Governor
Photography by NHophotos.com
A California governor has vetoed a bill that would allow judges to grant children more than two parents. In a statement released by Governor Jerry Brown, he cited his concern for unintentional consequences of the legislation. “I am troubled by the fact that some family law specialists believe the bill’s ambiguities may have unintended consequences,” wrote Brown. “I am returning Senate Bill 1476 without my signature … I would like to take more time to consider all of the implications of this change.”
The bill was introduced by Democratic State Senator Mark Leno of San Francisco in February. The bill passed the State Senate in May and the State Assembly in August. “This bill would reaffirm a family court judge’s ability to recognize parent-child relationships based on the evidence and what is in the best interests of the child,” reads an entry from Sen. Leno’s website. “The bill modernizes state law by giving courts the flexibility to protect children who have parent-child relationships with more than two people.”
The bill seemed like the right response for a little girl who was forced to become a ward of the state when her lesbian parents were unable to take care of her and her father was denied custody of her because of California’s two-parent policy. Even though the two women were otherwise disposed, the law still views them as the child’s legitimate parents. Child advocates in San Diego are now helping push legislation in California to allow children to have multiple parents.
University of San Diego Law School Professor Robert Fellmeth is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 1476. If signed into law, it would allow children, especially those with divorced or non-biological parents to legally have more than 2 parents. “In a perfect world, every child would have two parents, nobody would die, nobody would get divorced,” Fellmeth said.
According to Fellmath, the growing number of divorces and second marriages have left many children caught in the midst of complicated and sometimes nasty custody battles. Fellmeth believes the new legislation will benefit children significantly. “From the child’s point of view, she’s got two daddies and one mommy, and I’ll tell you as a child advocate, if I can get all three of them contributing to the college fund of that kid, I want to do it,” Fellmeth said. “To limit it to two in this day and age is arbitrary, capricious, unjustified,” he said.
The bill is receiving a plethora of criticism from the conservative religious front. “How many parents can a child have – two, three, five?” asked Pastor Chris Clarke at East Clairemont Southern Baptist Church. According to Clarke, the bill promotes instability for children in custody battles by dividing them between multiple parents. Jim Daly of ChristianPost.com also believes children will not benefit from this legislation. “California Senator Mark Leno may be on the verge of a legislative victory, but like regularly happens with attempts to redefine God’s design of the family, when radicals win, it’s the children who ultimately lose,” Daly wrote.
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