NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- The Louisiana attorney general's office is arguing against issuing a new birth certificate for a child adopted by a gay couple, a lawyer with the office said.
Louisiana provides new birth certificates for children born in the state but adopted in another state, The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Wednesday. The birth certificate includes the names of the adoptive parents.
U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey ruled in 2008 the adoptive parents and the child had a right to a new birth certificate. Kyle Duncan, the head of the appellate division of the attorney general's office is arguing that because Louisiana law doesn't allow an unmarried couple to jointly adopt a child, the state registrar can't be forced to recognize an out-of-state adoption by an unmarried couple.
Lambda Legal is representing adoptive parents Oren Adan and Mickey Smith. Kenneth Upton, a staff attorney with Lambda, said the men have a certificate of adoption, but that is not as widely accepted as a birth certificate.
