Massachusetts Parentage

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The Massachusetts Parentage Act (MPA, H.1713/S.947) will update Massachusetts’ outdated parentage law so that it is clear, equitable, and provides legal protection for all families, including LGBTQ+ families.

TAKE ACTION: Urge your legislators to co-sponsor the bill

This is the year to pass the Massachusetts Parentage Act.

Who supports the MPA (H.1713/S.947)

The Massachusetts Parentage Act is widely supported by local families and these state officials, associations, and partner organizations:

Boston City Council: City Council Supports Massachusetts Parentage Act
Boston Globe Editorial Board: Massachusetts lawmakers must protect the rights of LGBTQ and other parents
Massachusetts Lawyer’s Weekly: Legislature must act on surrogacy issues

Check out the full list of supporters.

Get involved and take action

Urge your state Representative and Senator to co-sponsor the MPA!
Get updates, volunteer, or share your story: Join us and other MPA supporters.
Follow the Massachusetts Parentage Act Coalition on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for updates and to share posts and help spread the word.
Show your support for the MPA: Download the MPA Coalition badge and make it your social media profile picture.
Learn more about the need for parentage reform from Massachusetts families.
Download and share the MPA Fact Sheet and family stories.

Why we need to update Massachusetts parentage law

There are many paths to parenthood and many types of families in the Commonwealth, but Massachusetts statutes have not kept pace with modern science and the diversity of our families, leaving children vulnerable.

An Act to Ensure Legal Parentage Equality (H.1713/S.947), known as the Massachusetts Parentage Act or MPA, updates Massachusetts statutes to clarify who can be a parent and how to establish parentage. This bill is critical to ensuring that all children can access the security of legal parentage, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.

This bill is based on the Uniform Parentage Act, which serves as a uniform framework for ensuring the protection of the relationship between parents and children. Originally passed in 1973 to protect children born to unmarried people, the Uniform Parentage Act was most recently revised and approved in 2017. Several of our neighboring states, including Vermont and Maine, have passed similar parentage legislation.

**Recognizing all families**

The MPA updates Massachusetts law so that it is constitutional, and it protects all children, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. Among other important protections, the MPA provides clarity on how to establish parentage for children born through assisted reproduction, surrogacy, and to same-sex parents who aren’t married. As the law stands now, children are not treated equally, with some having to wait six months or longer to establish their parent-child relationship. That is too long to wait and leaves children and families vulnerable.

Massachusetts families can’t wait any longer for equal access to family protections. Love makes families, and we need our laws to protect them.