Massachusetts Parentage

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Massachusetts Parentage Act

The Massachusetts Parentage Act will go into effect on January 1, 2025.

Governor Healey signed the Massachusetts Parentage Act into law on August 9, after unanimous passage in the House and Senate. The historic new law will protect LGBTQ+ families and families formed through assisted reproduction. Check out our Massachusetts Parentage Act FAQ to learn about how it will impact your family.

Did you miss the recent webinars about preparing for the new law? You can still watch and find resources:

What You Need to Know About the MPA and Its Protections for Your Family
An info session for parents, families and community members to learn about the new law and its impact on Massachusetts families

Massachusetts Parentage Act: What to Know About a New Law to Protect Families
A webinar for lawyers and organizations to learn how to prepare their clients and constituents for the law’s implementation

Governor Healey signing the Massachusetts Parentage Act at the State House, surrounded by legislative leaders and advocates

The Massachusetts Parentage Act (MPA) updates Massachusetts’ outdated parentage law so that it is clear, equitable, and provides legal protection for all families, including LGBTQ+ families.

Find out who supports the MPA
Read the summary of the bill
Get involved and take action
Why we need the MPA
Recognizing all families
Family stories
Get updates and share your family’s story
Media

Who supports the MPA

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

Governor Maura Healy and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell: Coalition Calls on Passage of Mass Parentage Act Following Michigan Governor’s Action Today
Boston City Council: City Council Supports Massachusetts Parentage Act
Boston Globe Editorial Board: Parents through IVF, surrogacy need equal protection
Massachusetts Lawyer’s Weekly: Legislature must act on surrogacy issues

Check out the full list of supporters.

Get involved and take action

Thank your lawmakers for passing the MPA!
Get updates from the MPA Coalition.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates and share posts to help spread the word.
Show your support: Download the MPA Coalition badge and make it your social media profile picture.
Wear your support with an MPA t-shirt!
Learn more about the impact of 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, 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.