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DENVER, CO – Legislation to simplify the adoption process for parents conceiving through assisted reproduction today passed the House by a vote of 53-11.
“When parents conceive using assisted reproduction, the law doesn’t always automatically recognize the parent-child relationship,” said Rep. Kerry Tipper, D-Lakewood. “In Colorado, there is a burdensome adoption process used to establish the parent-child legal relationship, which is costly, invasive and time consuming. The Family Affirmation Act would create a simplified legal process for parents so they can spend more time with their newborn and less time navigating the adoption process.”
“Under Colorado’s laws, my wife still needs to go through the expensive and complicated adoption process just to be legally recognized as the mother of our child, even though she is Marlo’s biological parent,” said Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo. “My wife, and every parent that goes through assisted reproduction, should have the same parental rights that I do. It’s time to modernize our laws so that every parent in our state has equal protections under the law.”
HB22-1153, sponsored by Representatives Kerry Tipper and Daneya Esgar, would create an accessible and streamlined adoption process for parents conceiving through assisted reproduction. Some parents, often LGBTQ+ couples, who conceive using assisted reproduction must currently go through the legal adoption process to be recognized as legal parents. This lengthy, expensive and complicated process is necessary just to be recognized as the legal parent of their child.
The adoption process currently requires home visits, court appearances, criminal record checks and countless complicated forms to legally confirm the parent-child relationship. This is all required for a parent to legally adopt their child. This makes parenting exponentially more expensive and time consuming for LGBTQ+ and other non-traditional families. The bill would create a process for families to establish a legal parent-child relationship that must be recognized nationwide and instruct courts to confirm the adoption within 30 days.