Canadian court OKs three parents; groups urge study of effects

Published: 2007-01-03

OTTAWA (CNS) -- Pro-marriage and Catholic groups have called for a federal government study after the Court of Appeal for Ontario recognized three parents for a child living with a lesbian couple. The court, which ruled Jan. 2 that the child's biological mother and father and the mother's lesbian partner all have equal rights and obligations to the child, overturned a lower court decision limiting rights to two parents. The decision prompted calls for a royal commission to study the future of marriage and families in Canada. Michele Boulva, director of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family, said Jan. 2: "The kind of research we need now in Canada concerns the impact on children of redefining parenthood. "It should also be a call to develop a global family policy that gives priority to children's rights and needs over adult desires, because children are our future. The governments can't let the courts decide these matters," she said.

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