JURIST – Paper Chase: New York governor signs law allowing unmarried partners to adopt
Jay Carmella at 11:18 AM ET
[JURIST] New York Governor David Paterson (D) signed a bill on Sunday allowing unmarried partners, including gay couples, to jointly adopt a child. The law [A 05652 materials] amends the language of Section 110 [text] of New York’s domestic relations law to allow two unmarried adult intimate partners to adopt a child. The New York Assembly passed the bill in July, after finding that the amended language keeps with the state’s policy to ensure the best interests of the child. The new law also removes the phrase “husband and wife” and replaces it with “married couple.” This is because, while same-sex marriage is illegal in the state, New York recognizes [NY1 News> report] same-sex marriages from other states. The amended language is as follows:
An adult unmarried person, an adult married couple together, or any two unmarried adult intimate partners together may adopt another person…An adult or minor married couple together may adopt a child of either of them born in or out of wedlock and an adult or minor spouse may adopt such a child of the other spouse.
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