Latest news with #parentalRights
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Italy's court says 2 mothers can register as parents on birth certificates
Sculptures are seen atop the Constitutional Court building near the Quirinale presidential palace in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, April 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File) ROME — Italy's Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled that two women can register as parents of a child on a birth certificate, saying recognition of parental rights cannot be restricted to the biological mother in families with same-sex parents. Advocates for 2SLGBTQ+ rejoiced at the ruling, while the association Pro Life and Family denounced it as sending thousands of children born to same-sex parents into 'an existential joke.' The court ruled that it was unconstitutional for city registers to deprive children born to same sex-parents of recognition by both the biological mother and the woman who consented to the medically assisted pregnancy and assumed parental responsibilities. In recent years, some city registrars had begun to record only the name of the biological mother on birth certificates, and not the name of her partner. In order to have legal rights and responsibility over the child, the non-biological mother then had to 'adopt' the child. A 2004 law had provided for such limited parental recognition. But thanks to an Interior Ministry circular in 2023, the restrictions were being enforced anew as part of the policy of the far-right-led government of Premier Giorgia Meloni to crack down on surrogacy and promote traditional family values. The ruling does not address the legality of medically assisted procreation: Italy has strong restrictions on IVF and has had a ban on surrogacy since 2004. Last year Italy expanded the ban to criminalize Italians who go abroad to have children through surrogacy. The Associated Press
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Colorado parent groups sue state over controversial new transgender law enforcing 'compelled speech'
Colorado potentially faces a major lawsuit regarding a new law on transgender protections and how it could violate free speech and parental rights. On Friday, Gov. Jared Polis signed into law the Kelly Loving Act, a bill that expands state anti-discrimination protections for transgender individuals by allowing a person's "chosen name" to qualify as a form of "gender expression" that is protected under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA). Now that the bill has passed, the group Defending Education (DE) has sued the state on behalf of the Do No Harm, The Colorado Parent Advocacy Network and Protect Kids Colorado groups out of concerns that the law could violate their free speech rights. "The Act's new definition of 'gender expression' is unconstitutionally overbroad," the lawsuit provided to Fox News Digital reads. "Because it covers any treatment based on the use of a 'chosen name' or other forms of preferred 'address,' it punishes many forms of constitutionally protected speech." It continued, "When speakers refer to transgender-identifying individuals using biologically accurate terms, they advance a viewpoint about a hot-button political issue: gender ideology. That kind of speech lies at the core of the First Amendment. But the Act's definition of 'gender expression' makes all such speech discriminatory and unlawful." The lawsuit added that since CADA prohibits the "publishing of discriminative matter," the new act could prohibit and potentially penalize individuals, including parents, for publicly disapproving of changing one's name and gender. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sarah Parshall Perry, Vice President of Defending Education, said the law "muzzles" parents and doctors to protect the state's "preferred gender orthodoxy." "Colorado can't seem to stop losing at the Supreme Court on constitutional challenges to its anti-discrimination laws. And yet, Governor Polis has nevertheless signed another patently unconstitutional iteration of its Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act—something that can only be described as an exercise of remarkable hubris," Perry said. DE is seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction on enforcing this new definition as a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments for using "unconstitutionally overbroad" language and enforcing "compelled speech." "Do No Harm is proud to challenging Colorado's absurd so-called anti-discrimination act. Abridging American's constitutional right to freedom of expression in the name of radical gender ideology is wrong. We expect the court to reaffirm that the Constitution trumps progressive dogma," said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, Chairman of Do No Harm. Fox News Digital reached out to the governor's office for comment. The Kelly Loving Act has come under fire by conservatives and Colorado parents since it was introduced in March. Among the protections in the original bill included a ruling that "deadnaming, misgendering, or threatening to publish material related to an individual's gender-affirming health-care services" could be considered forms of "coercive control" that could affect a parent's custody over children. After facing backlash, Colorado lawmakers eventually removed language regarding "deadnaming" and child custody, although opponents still criticized elements of the bill for broad language. Colorado has been at the center of several high-profile cases based on its anti-discrimination laws over the past few years. Most infamously, Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips has been sued multiple times over his refusal to bake a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding or a gender transition. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the state, finding that Colorado's anti-discrimination laws could not force a graphic designer to create wedding websites for same-sex weddings in violation of her beliefs.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- The Independent
Sperm donor who claims to have fathered over 180 children loses latest custody battle
An unregulated sperm donor who claims to have fathered more than 180 children across the world has failed to gain custody of a three-year-old child. Robert Albon has attempted four times to gain parental rights over a child he fathered in the UK, with a judge previously describing him as a 'man who seeks to control' with women and children appearing a 'commodity' to him. The 54-year-old, who also goes by the pseudonym 'Joe Donor' and advertises his services online, had applied for the toddler to live him after her mother was deemed unable to look after her. Originally from the United States, Mr Albon started acting as an unregistered sperm donor in 2013 and has been living in the UK since 2020. On Wednesday, Mr Justice Poole rejected his application for custody of the girl, who was born in 2022, and turned down a second application for parental rights over a second girl, who was born in March 2023. The family court in Middlesbrough heard that the mother of the three-year-old had contacted him on Facebook, before he travelled 250 miles the same day to have sex with her, which he advertised as a 'free' service. Afterwards, they exchanged messages, with the woman telling him: 'Have done an awful lot of thinking about how you have treated me. I can't eat. I actually came within minutes of ending my life this morning. It was my 17-year-old that stopped me. I cannot carry on any longer. You have truly broken me.' Messages also show that he was being accused of using the unborn child to try and get housing and benefits. The judge ruled the girl, known as CB, could be adopted but not by her father as there was 'substantial risk' she would be cast aside. In the case of the second girl, known as CA, the judgement found that while he could be declared her father on her registered birth certificate, he was denied increased contact of parental responsibility. In this case, he had once again had sexual intercourse with the girl's mother and had limited contact with the child, but she now 'wants nothing to do with him' having learnt about his through legal proceedings. The High Court heard that the women who had used Mr Albon's services were mainly single, vulnerable or in a same-sex relationship. In February, he was named by a judge who hoped to protect women from using his services, after he subjected a Cardiff couple to a 'nightmare and a horror story' when he took them to court to get parental rights. In the recent judgement, Mr Justice Poole said: 'The evidence before the court shows that Mr Albon will have sex with, or provide his sperm for artificial insemination, to just about anyone who asks.' He added that Mr Albon's motives for acting as a donor had been questioned during the proceedings, saying: 'Is he motivated by the desire to have sex with many different women? Is he compelled to reproduce? 'Does he enjoy gratification from knowing that there are scores of his children on the earth? Is he simply attention-seeking? 'Does he want to secure his immigration status? It is difficult to look into the mind of Mr Albon because he is not self-reflective.' There is a warrant for his arrest in the US, where he was offering sperm donor services until 2017, over unpaid child maintenance amounting to thousands of dollars.
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
The National Church Black Initiative Asks the Supreme Court to Rule in Favor of Religious Liberty and the Parents
Without undermining the integrity of Gay parents' humanity 'The Montgomery County school was out of line to mandate these books without having a due process clause to opt out.' — Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 7, 2025 / / -- The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a coalition of 150,000 African American churches representing 27.7 million members, has expressed support for parental rights and religious freedom as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case involving public school curriculum in Montgomery County, Maryland. The case concerns the Montgomery County Public Schools' decision to incorporate LGBTQ+ inclusive books into the elementary language-arts curriculum and its subsequent policy change in 2023 to no longer allow parents to opt their children out of lessons involving those materials. Parents involved in the case come from a range of religious backgrounds, including Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Ukrainian Orthodox. They assert that the policy infringes on their First Amendment right to exercise their religious beliefs and to guide their children's exposure to content related to gender and sexuality in accordance with those beliefs. Rev. Anthony Evans, President of NBCI, stated: 'We believe parents must retain the ability to make decisions about their children's education, especially when those decisions are rooted in sincerely held religious beliefs. Religious freedom must be preserved for all — including LGBTQ+ parents who may find themselves in similar circumstances in the future.' NBCI further emphasized the importance of legal frameworks that allow for conscientious objection when public policy intersects with individual beliefs. The organization highlighted concerns that some of the books in question may not be age-appropriate for elementary students, particularly in terms of language and subject matter. Montgomery County, located in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., is among the most religiously diverse counties in the United States. The outcome of the case could have implications for how school systems across the country navigate religious rights and curriculum design moving forward. About NBCI The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of approximately 150,000 African American and Latino churches dedicated to eradicating racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. The mission of NBCI is to provide critical wellness information to all its members, congregants, churches, and the public. NBCI, utilizing faith and sound health science, partners with major organizations and officials to reduce racial disparities in various areas cited above. NBCI's programs are guided by credible statistical analysis, science-based strategies and techniques, and methods that deliver effective solutions to complex economic and social challenges. Faith-based, innovative, and cutting-edge approaches inform these solutions. Anthony Evans National Black Church Initiative +1 202-744-0184 email us here Visit us on social media: Instagram Facebook YouTube TikTok X Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
