Order signed to let same-sex couples register both names on birth certificate

Minister for Health Simon Harris signed commencement orders and regulations.

New regulations have been signed to allow some same-sex couples to legally register both names on their child’s birth certificate.

Minister for Health Simon Harris signed commencement orders and regulations on Monday for Parts 2 and 3 of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015, which will come into effect on May 5.

Until now, some gay couples could only register the child’s birth mother, meaning the other person in the relationship had no legal parental rights to the child they were raising.

Groups to benefit from the Act

Heterosexual couples
Female same-sex couples
Single women undergoing donor-assisted reproduction