L

 

Who's Your.
“Second  .9
Parent”?   

Five Years Later,

J

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Health Department

BY CATHY RESMER

n July 1, 2005 .— nearly
’ five years after the civil
,4“ _‘ union law toolceffect v- _
the Vermont Department of Health ’s
Vital Records Office finally updated
its birth certificate forms tomore
accurately reflect the state’s queer
families.

Thanks to the civil union law,
when a CU'd woman gives birth,
her female partner’s name is auto-
matically entered on the birth cer-
tificate as the child’s “second par-
ent.” But until this July, medical
records clerks had no choice but to
enter this information in the box
marked “father’s name.” That head-
ing was then manually, messily
crossed out.

That’s what happened to Kendra
Henson-Stroud and her female part-
ner, Max, when their son Connor
was born in March. Max Henson-
Stroud says that when the clerk
came by their hospital room to col-
lect the birth certificate details, she
had to use a Sharpie to black out the
line that read, “father’s name.” “She
was really nice, and polite, and
wonderful,”_says Max. “She apolo-
gized that the forms hadn’t been
changed yet.” '

Cindy Hooley, Vital Statistics

"Information Manager, explains that

the Health Department has just
introduced new forms that replace

Updates Birth Certificates

the outdated language. Now, clerks
will enter all birth details into a
web-based system. This new system
is capable of printing birth certifi-

- cates that have boxes for both
“mother” and “second parent.” Once ,

they’re printed off the computer, the
certificates are then sent or brought

to the town clerk; the officeof Vital
Records also receives a copy.

Hooley adds that state law
requires all birth certificates to list
the mother’s medical information.
Two civil unioned men who have a
child through a surrogate mother
would still be required to put the
mother’s name on the birth certifi-
cate, though the document would be
amended during a second—parent
adoption process.

So why did it take five years for
the state to create new forms?
Hooley, who has held her position
for three years, says at first, “there
wasn’t a demand for it, as I under-
stand -... There were so few to start
with it didn’t seem to make much
sense.” She claims the Health
Department has received a few com-
plaints about the outdated forms, but
says there haven’t been many.

It’s not an issue that has pro-
voked organized outrage. Max
Henson-Stroud says it didn’t bother
her. “I was so relieved to know I was
going to be on the birth certificate as
a parent that I didn’t care,” she says.

Sarah Page, who gave birth three
years ago, says she and her partner

,..-:r»‘~"

 

Max and Kendra Henn-Streud with baby Connor.‘ Both women's names appear on 7‘

Connor's birth certificate as parents, and new forms will specily “mother” and “parent.”

6. MOTHER'S NAME - (F/RSI MIDDLE, LAST] SUFFIX)

E. MOTHER'S BIRTH NAME - (LAST NAME ONLW

9. MOT‘

10a. RESIDENCE OF MOTHER -‘ STREETAND NUMBER

 
 

11. PARENTS NAME -‘(FIRST MIDDLE, LAST} SUFFIX)

  

13. PARENTS BIRTHPLACE - (STATE OR FOREIGN COUNTRY)

 
 

The revised Vermont certificate of Live Birth

Kara DeLeonardis had to have their
daughter’s birth certificate manually
altered, but she wasn’t particularly
bothered by the process, either.
“Honestly,” she says, “I ‘felt like it .
was a great thing that we could both
put ourselves on the birth certificate. I
just remember being so happy that we
didn’t have to jump through hoops.”
Still, Cindy Hooley seems sheep-

ish whentxplaining the delay in
creating the new forms; when other
state agencies came into compliance
with the civil unions law long ago.
“We should have it,” she says.

And now, finally, after five
years, we do. And lesbian and gay
couples who are new parents can
ask for it — another acknowledgment
that our families count. V

When the
clerk-came to
collect the

birth certificate
details, she hadit 
to use a Sharp:
to black out the
line that read,
‘father's name.’
“She apologized
that the forms
hadn't been
changed y ”

— MAX Hanson-sinoun