Tag Archives: adoption

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled on May 3 that the state must recognize children born to lesbian couples as having two parents on their birth certificate, ensuring full parental rights for both parents and equal treatment for gay and heterosexual couples.   ‘Biology’ Cited by State Heather and Melissa Gartner, a lesbian couple, were legally married in Iowa in 2009 after the state’s “Defense of Marriage Act” was held unconstitutional. They had already wed via a civil commitment ceremony and …

The Puerto Rico Supreme Court last week upheld the island’s ban on same-sex couples adopting children, noting that the legislature could change the law if it wished.   ‘The state … has not criminalized their sentimental relationship, but it does not have a constitutional obligation to award this relationship the same rights that other relationships have when it comes to adoption procedures,’’ the majority opinion said. The ruling quashed the efforts of a woman to adopt her 12-year-old child, who was …

Dr. Jonathan Sporn found himself “falling deeper and deeper in love” with his infant son, Lincoln, after the boy’s July 2012 birth. But due to legal circumstances and the tragic suicide of his biological mother, Lincoln has been in a foster home for more than a month and isn’t likely to leave anytime soon. Sporn, a pharmaceuticals executive living in Manhattan, struck up a romance with prominent attorney Leann Leutner in 2010. Both were divorced, and as their relationship grew, …

Filing for Bankruptcy? You Still Have to Pay Child Support A Florida man almost escaped $180,000 in past-due child support when his ex-wife and the state didn’t bother to claim the debt during his bankruptcy proceedings, but a federal court has affirmed that he still owes the money nevertheless. Child support payments are rarely discharged in bankruptcy. Find Out More…   Using a Surrogate to Have a Child Many people who want children can’t have them for various reasons. As a …

A case out of South Carolina has ignited a battle that pits an adoptive couple against a Native American tribe and the child’s biological father. Matt and Melanie Capobianco adopted 2-year-old Veronica in an Oklahoma open adoption in 2009. The child’s biological father, Dusten Brown, was not actively in her life at the time. Furthermore, when Veronica was four months old, Brown stated in writing that he would not contest the adoption, according to the Capobianco’s attorney. Two weeks later, …