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Article: Md. Court of Appeals rejects 'de facto' parent status
- Article from:
- The Daily Record (Baltimore)
- Article date:
- May 20, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Daily Record (Baltimore). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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In a decision gay-rights advocates called a setback for same-sex
parents, Maryland's highest court held Monday that two lower courts
were wrong to allow a woman visitation rights with her former
romantic partner's daughter.
In a 6-1 decision, the Court of Appeals held that Maryland does
not recognize the concept of de facto parenthood, which would allow
a non-legal parent to win visitation with a child over a parent's
objection simply by proving that it would be in the child's best
interest.
Someone who performs parental functions for a child with the
consent of the child's parent is considered a third party and can
only win access by showing that the legal parent is unfit or that
there are ...