Boston - A lesbian couple can list both their names on a birth certificate under the category "mother" if the women are connected to the child by birth or biology, a Massachusetts court has ruled.
"This is a decision that was made in the best interest of the child. It gives the child the protection of having both women as parents with all the rights and responsibilities," lawyer Ms Joyce Kauffman said yesterday after news of the June 26th ruling emerged.
Ms Kauffman represented Ms Mary Jane Knoll and Ms Christine Finn in the court action. The pair conceived their baby boy through in vitro fertilisation using Ms Knoll's eggs and semen from an anonymous donor. Both women requested that the "father" category be replaced with a second mother category.
