Child in ‘polyamorous’ family allowed three parents, Canadian judge rules

A Canadian judge has ruled that three adults in a ‘polyamorous’ relationship can be registered as the parents of the child they are raising.

Bill, Eliza and Olivia had been in a relationship for two years before Eliza gave birth to Bill’s son, Clarke.

In British Columbia, the law allows three ‘parents’ of a child conceived by donor or surrogate to be listed, but does not apply to polyamorous trios where the child is conceived naturally between two of them.

Legal ‘gap’

Justice Sandra Wilkinson of the province’s Supreme Court sided with the wishes of Bill, Eliza and Olivia, claiming a “gap” in the law justified her decision in this case.

In her ruling, the judge stated that the law “did not foresee the possibility a child might be conceived through sexual intercourse and have more than two parents”.

British Columbia’s Attorney General, David Eby QC, warned the move would “open the floodgates for parentage declarations in the future”.

Earlier this year, Cambridge City Council in the US state of Massachusetts changed its legal definition of family to recognise ‘polyamorous’ relationships between three or more people.