Thursday, AB 960, authored by Assemblymember David Chiu (D—San Francisco) and co-sponsored by Equality California, passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee. The committee voted unanimously to pass the bill, which now moves to the Assembly Floor for a vote at the end of May. The bill would update California’s assisted reproduction laws to help ensure that all families are equally protected by law.
AB 960, the Equal Protection For All Families Act, co-sponsored by Equality California, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Our Family Coalition, ensures all couples using assisted reproduction are fully recognized as parents as intended. Specifically, AB 960 would allow unmarried people using assisted reproduction to be fully recognized as parents on the same terms as married parents. It would also remove the requirement from Family Law that couples must involve a doctor when using assisted reproduction in order to ensure that the donor is not presumed to be the parent. AB 960 also provides clear direction for how egg donors should be treated under California Law.
“All couples, including LGBT couples, should be protected by law and have access to the method of assisted reproduction of their choice to grow their families in California,” said Assemblymember Chiu. “AB 960 will help ensure that families formed in many ways are recognized and equally protected under law.”
“Thanks to Asm. David Chiu, if AB 960 is adopted, California’s Family Law will protect LGBT families, regardless of how they choose to conceive,” said Rick Zbur executive director for Equality California. “Families come in all different shapes and sizes, but they should be valued equally under the law. AB 960 corrects Family Law provisions so that LGBT families are respected and all parents can be fully recognized as intended by the state of California.”
