Parental rights for same-sex couples

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Same-sex spouses with children in Nova Scotia can now both be listed on birth certificates as parents, the provincial government announced Thursday.

The province responded to a complaint filed with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, challenging the Vital Statistics Act, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Emily and Jamie O’Neill, who married in 2005, had a daughter last year.

"We are committed to ensuring that same-sex couples are treated with the same respect and dignity as everyone else," Service Nova Scotia Minister Jamie Muir said in the announcement.

In the past, only birth parents were listed on birth certificates in the case of same-sex couples. The other spouse would have to adopt the child legally to gain parental rights.