The state of Arkansas must record both names of partners in a same-sex relationship on their children’s birth certificates, a judge ruled on Monday.
Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox ruled in favor of same-sex couples after three lesbian couples challenged the Arkansas Health Department Vital Statistics Bureau’s refusal to identify both parents as parents of their children.
Monday’s ruling applies only to the three couples, but Fox is considering broadening it to include all same-sex couples with children in the state, according to Reuters.
Controversies regarding the listing of same-sex parents on birth certificates have arisen in other states, including Nebraska, Texas, and Florida, since the Supreme Court's ruling in June that legalized same-sex marriage across the county.
