When a Mother isn't a Mother

Families come in all shapes and sizes but until September 2025, Georgia Law only automatically gave legal rights to one kind- straight married couples who then had children the old fashioned way. For IVF and surrogacy, a court needs to get involved to make sure some stranger doesn’t have legal rights to your kid.

My client Teresa* and her wife decided to have a child using a donation from one of their friends.

After giving birth, the nurse asked Teresa about her child’s father and filled in the form- not realizing that Teresa’s wife was in the hall.

Imagine Teresa's surprise when they enrolled their baby in school and her wife wasn't allowed to pick her up. 

Luckily there is a simple solution: have her friend surrender his rights and ask the department of public health for a birth certificate change. There was paperwork, yes, but the new birth certificate came out and now said parent 2 and her wife’s name.

I’m great for parents who are overwhelmed with paperwork; people who want the freedom to play with their kids and not clean up other people's mistakes.

*names changed to protect confidentiality