Lansing, MI (April 5, 2024) – COLAGE is thrilled to see that Governor Whitmer signed the Michigan Family Protection Act (MFPA) on Monday. The MFPA is an update to Michigan’s family law that ensures all children, including children born via assisted reproduction to LGBTQ+ parents, have a legally protected relationship with their parents.
“Michigan’s decision to pass the Family Protection Act is a long-awaited victory for LGBTQ+ families like mine,” said Katie Christian, former COLAGE Youth Action Board member who testified in support of the legislation. “The Michigan Fertility Alliance worked tirelessly to push this bill, and could not be more honored that they asked for COLAGE’s help. I am relieved that Michigan LGBTQ+ families using assisted reproduction will no longer have to undergo the messy, unjust process my family endured to secure a legal parent-child relationship. We have always known our families are no different than any other family, and I am glad to see Michigan law finally catching up,” she added.
In the face of ongoing attacks on LGBTQ+ people and families, assisted reproduction, and reproductive autonomy, it is refreshing to see Michigan pass legislation that explicitly protects our community.
“Governor Whitmer has demonstrated Michigan’s commitment to families and protecting access to fertility healthcare and family building. The MFPA is critical to ensuring that all children can access the security of a legal tie to their parents, regardless of the circumstances of their birth,” said Stephanie Jones, founder of the Michigan Fertility Alliance. “The MFPA will secure the ability of parents to provide health insurance for their children, make crucial decisions about things like emergency medical care and education, and ensure children have access to social security benefits and inheritance rights, which are all derived from legal parentage. It will also ensure children don’t abruptly lose a relationship with a parent in circumstances where a couple separates, or one parent dies.”
While this is a huge victory, we still have a long way to go to protect all people with LGBTQ+ parents. “In more than 30 other states, parentage laws are outdated and do not fully protect our families,” said Jordan Budd, Executive Director of COLAGE. “It’s fantastic to see Michigan setting a new standard for protecting queerspawn and their families. COLAGE will continue to fight for parentage reform nationwide until all of our families are protected under the law.”
Read our report on the importance of updating state parentage laws from last year. Learn more about COLAGE and our work, and help support us as we continue to provide community and empowerment for people with LGBTQ+ parents/caregivers
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