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Antonio with his parents and Buenos Aires government officials (photo: BA Noticias)
The Buenos Aires provincial government authorised yesterday the registration of a baby with two mothers and one father. It is the first case of triple parentage in Latin America.
One-year-old Antonio was born in Mar del Plata to Susana and Valeria —who requested their surnames be withheld, to protect their privacy— a married lesbian couple, and registered as their son. His biological father, Hernán, has participated in his son’s upbringing and requested to be also recognised as a parent, adding his surname to Antonio’s mothers’ surnames.
Susana and Valeria, both 37, have been in a relationship for 11 years and married two years ago. When they decided to have a baby, their friend Hernán (39), whom they have known for almost 20 years, offered to not only donate sperm for the fertilisation procedure, but also to be a part of the child’s life.
“Actually, [Hernán] didn’t offer to be a donor, but to be part of a project to have a child between the three of us. That is, not as a donor, but as a father, with all the responsibilities that carries,” said Valeria.
According to Hernán, who lives in Buenos Aires but travels to Mar del Plata often to be with his son, “it wasn’t an easy decision to make, because for one reason or another, it was never the right time to have a child. Until we felt that moment came along and we took this great step.”
The request to have the three people registered as Antonio’s parents was presented to the provincial civil registrar and supported by the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, and Trans (FALGBT). It was based on the need to guarantee the child his right to an integral identity, to recognise his family situation, and to be recognised as the son of his two mothers and father without either of them having to give up their rights and obligations towards the child.
Whilst it is normally accepted that a person is born to two parents, Argentine legislation does not expressly prohibit situations of triple parentage, as it does not establish a limit to the number of parents a person may have.
The post First Baby Registered with Three Parents in Argentina appeared first on The Argentina Independent.
