California Supreme Court Redefines Family

Kathryn Hooks
American Family Association

Tupelo, MS - In three separate cases raising fundamental issues as to
what makes a family and who qualifies as a parent, the California
Supreme Court today ruled in each case that a child may legally have
two mothers.

In Elisa B. v. Superior Court, the court held that a lesbian who had
agreed to raise the children born to her partner, but then split up
with her partner, was required to pay child support for the children as
a parent. In K.M. v. E.G., the court held that the existence of a
written waiver of rights was no bar to a lesbian woman who had donated
ova to her partner to assist in an in vitro fertilization asserting
rights as a parent. And in Kristine H. v. Lisa R., the court found that
a stipulation signed by the natural mother conferred a legal right to
her lesbian partner to exercise the role of a parent over the child.

"The California Supreme Court is determined not to be outdone in the
aggressive fashioning of new social policy under the guise of deciding
legal cases," commented Stephen Crampton, Chief Counsel for the AFA
Center for Law & Policy, which has endorsed a proposed state
constitutional amendment defining marriage in California. "These
cases, read together, demonstrate beyond question the social and
political agenda of the court. They have little or nothing to do with
law," Crampton said.

"The arrogance of the California court in attempting to redefine the
family by the mere stroke of a pen is nothing short of
extraordinary," Crampton observed. "If the people do not stand up
and let their voices be heard, the courts will continue to take over
every aspect of our lives. It is time to speak out and rein in this
runaway judiciary," Crampton counseled.

The Center for Law & Policy is the legal arm of the American Family
Association, Inc. It specializes in constitutional litigation in state
and federal courts throughout the country, including numerous same sex
marriage cases.

In Elisa B. v. Superior Court, the court held that a lesbian who had
agreed to raise the children born to her partner, but then split up
with her partner, was required to pay child support for the children
as a parent. In K.M. v. E.G., the court held that the existence of a
written waiver of rights was no bar to a lesbian woman who had
donated ova to her partner to assist in an in vitro fertilization
asserting rights as a parent. And in Kristine H. v. Lisa R., the
court found that a stipulation signed by the natural mother conferred
a legal right to her lesbian partner to exercise the role of a parent
over the child.

The Center for Law & Policy is the legal arm of the American Family
Association, Inc. It specializes in constitutional litigation in
state and federal courts throughout the country, including numerous
same sex marriage cases.