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Committee hears testimony backing bill to add confirmatory adoptions for families formed by assisted reproduction
Summary
Witnesses told the Senate Judiciary Committee that H.98 would add a confirmatory-adoption option to Vermont law to streamline adoption decrees for parents already recognized under the Vermont Parentage Act, citing portability, reduced litigation and reduced cost and delay for families formed through assisted reproduction.
Polly Crozier, director of family advocacy at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, and Meg York, director of LGBTQ+ Family Law and Policy at Family Equality, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 1 that H.98 would create a narrow “confirmatory adoption” route for families already recognized as parents under Vermont law.
The witnesses said the change would let parents who are already legally parents under the Vermont Parentage Act obtain an adoption decree more quickly and with fewer procedural burdens, offering families additional protection if they travel or move to states that treat parentage differently.
Crozier and York said the bill is limited in scope and is intended only for people who already hold legal parentage in Vermont and who want an adoption decree for added security. “This bill is simple but incredibly important,” Crozier said, describing the change as “a continuation…
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