It’s possible that you want to adopt your stepchild or a child who already has two legal parents. Fortunately, Florida is one of the states where it is allowed. The state allows three parents per child, maximum.
As of June 19, 2017, one family finally had their wishes and rights confirmed and welcomed a third parent into their family. The couple who had a little girl are in a same-sex relationship. They had approached their male friend to have the little girl, creating a situation where the child technically had three parental figures, though only two biological.
Legally, one of the women only recently became the child’s mother after waiting 16 years. She used a law in California to take the step to be legally recognized. Now, Florida has the same type of law.
The laws now reflect what people call the new landscape of parenting. New techniques and advancements in technology could make laws like this one even more important in the future. There are techniques, for instance, that help splice a third person’s DNA with two others, so a child can be born free of a rare disease. Previously, all three people who created the embryo would not have been recognized.
Not all states recognize the importance of having three legal parents in some families’ situations. Fortunately, Florida does. If you’re in a situation where you wish to be added as your child’s third parent or to have someone else who participates in your child’s life added as a parent, your attorney can talk to you about your situation and what it would entail to make that happen.
Source: NewsTalk Florida, “Florida among many states where courts allow 3 parents of 1 child,” June 19, 2017