Three fathers now.

[Igneococcus]

Whatever next?
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/5dc4f5d8-7b7e-11eb-83b7-5869de54abef?shareToken=bd5e62f29aae305ea21426c3155bc5ab

Legal untethering of the mother and child is the biggest safeguarding mistake any society can make.

A birth certificate is about the child and their birth, not the circumstances of everyone else in one parents life.

Birth certificates are a way if showing some details about a person, including their biological origins (in theory, anyway). This is why adopted people are allowed access to their original ones when they become adults.

They are not there to validate adults who want to feel special. Adoption and legal guardianship are options in this situation.

*of

How frightening. No comment about how the children are being raised - but to erase the women who gave birth to them as if they did not even exist is an abomination.

This is quite literally human trafficking. Babies bought and sold.

No comment about

That should read "I have no comment about" just in case lurking reporters want to twist my words to mean anything else.

“I want all other families that are unique or atypical to know that they might be able to get protections for their families too.”

What could possibly go wrong?

Increased opportunities for abuse, trafficking, cults adopting children (imagine how a certain California-based quasi-religion might take this on for example), ultimately reduced rights of mothers and children. But apart from all that, what could possibly go wrong?

It would seem to me that women who are the birth mothers lose protection here. The piece is remarkably quiet about that.

It is worrying. I am sure these guys are great dads but it could have unintended consequences. If a child does not need a legal mother and can have 3 fathers, why not 4 or 5? Or any combination? Why does a child need a human parent at all, why not a corporation or other non human body?
Obviously that sounds dystopian and sounds like something out of black mirror but I can imagine the arguments that could be put forward once a mother is no longer essential.
As a pp said, it weakens safeguarding drip by drip over time, every child should have a legal mother.

I think this is terrifying. I detest surrogacy anyway but a birth certificate is a legal record of who gave birth to a child and when. It's not a pretty certificate for a parent to have for their own ego.

As long as the kids are looked fter I don't see a problem! The women in this story enabled it so I doubt they have much of a problem with the situation
Plenty biological mums couldn't care less about their kids so although it seems very odd as long as they are looked after well I don't see a problem! No ones right have been taken away all parties have consented
Obviously the children have not but no children gets to choose what they are born into
It doesn't affect anyone on this thread

@Greenrubber

As long as the kids are looked fter I don't see a problem! The women in this story enabled it so I doubt they have much of a problem with the situation Plenty biological mums couldn't care less about their kids so although it seems very odd as long as they are looked after well I don't see a problem! No ones right have been taken away all parties have consented Obviously the children have not but no children gets to choose what they are born into It doesn't affect anyone on this thread

Child retain the right to be safeguarded regardless of their birth.

Why are marriages involving 3 people not legal?

There are reasons.

It doesn't affect anyone on this thread

//////

Ok. I'd guess 99% of threads on MN don't affect you, do you only contribute to those which do?

Thank goodness people do get involved in issues which don't affect them. Safeguarding for example.

“We did not know that it was even possible to get the legal protections that we got,” he said recently

Really? You’re privileged white men and you didn’t know you can get anything you want as long as you shout loud enough? Have you been living under a rock?

It doesn't affect anyone on this thread

Didn't affect me when my child's friend told me when she was about 8 that she was scared to go home because her mum wasn't there, only her stepfather and she was scared of him. There had been hints before but I wasn't too sure of the dynamics. When I saw the fear in her eyes I knew I hadn't misjudged so I made the appropriate report.

Still, it wouldn't have affected me to have just left her in the care of a man who she was afraid of. Should have kept out of it I suppose.

Gay marriages were not legal not so long ago
Why does everyone think these children need more safeguarding than any other children?
I don't post very often but why is everyone getting so annoyed about this
Just because it's 3 men doent mean the children are at an elevated risk of anything
They hopefully have 3 doting dads that will do anything for them and a large family and friends circle
No parental relationship is the same just because this one is different doesn't mean they will suffer in any way
And no I doesn't effect anyone on this thread and of course if there was any safeguarding issue then the correct authorities and people who actually know them should get involved but no we shouldn't

I might be off on a tangent here. My main concern is that the mother's name is removed from the birth certificate - but thinking about this, perhaps this is common in surrogacy arrangements - in which case I have broader concerns with this (and I am generally opposed to commercial surrogacy at least).

Wellthat'sunusual

You can't relate a story you read online to something you have witnessed first hand

You don't know these people so why judge them just because your not happy with their relationship

They will get all the checks any other parents get and like I said unless you witness it for yourself and you know these people you can't comment

@YetAnotherSpartacus

I might be off on a tangent here. My main concern is that the mother's name is removed from the birth certificate - but thinking about this, perhaps this is common in surrogacy arrangements - in which case I have broader concerns with this (and I am generally opposed to commercial surrogacy at least).

Absolutely this.

A birth certificate reflects biology. It's not a way to validate parents regardless of a family set up.

When I mentioned safeguarding it wasn't in relation to these men or gay couples at all. I was giving an example of something which won't affect most people in the process but protects the vulnerable.

I can see how my wording could have misconstrued so apologies for that.

I will however continue to debate and discuss issues which don't affect me. For bleedin obvious reasons

@Greenrubber

Wellthat'sunusual

You can't relate a story you read online to something you have witnessed first hand

You don't know these people so why judge them just because your not happy with their relationship

They will get all the checks any other parents get and like I said unless you witness it for yourself and you know these people you can't comment

It's not to do with these people, and their relationship. It's to do with the birth certificate

This issue here is the biological truth of the matter.

It won't matter if the child grows up and marries the biological child of one of their adopted dads or even if the surrogate mum but it will matter if they marry the child of the woman who donated eggs.

I think more and more that there should be a separate document to a birth certificate which, where known, records the biological truth for health reasons and posterity.

The children will no doubt be greatly loved in whatever family they grow up in but who they procreate with, what inherited conditions they might have and their ancestors are dependent on their biology.

The second document will serve for subsequent additions the parents or they themselves wish to make in the future.

I totally get that there is alot of issues in the world and people need to fight for them!

This case tho just seems like 3 men who wanted kids the mums agreed to it so I don't know what the problem is

If the women wanted to be on the birth certificate and were not allowed then yes I can see an issue it just doesn't seem the case here it seems all parties were willing

In this case they are friends with the biological mums tho so this should not be an issue

Anyway enjoy your debate ladies