RICHMOND, Va. — Civil liberties lawyers are applauding Virginia’s registrar of vital records for outlining new procedures to ensure the children of same-sex married couples are properly recorded by hospitals.

Registrar Janet M. Rainey outlined the procedures in a late January letter.

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The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia said the change is important to ensure that the children of same-sex married couples have the same legal protections as all married couples.

In her letter, Rainey instructs hospitals that the children of two women who are married to each other should have both parents listed on their birth certificates.

The ACLU says it’s essential to have a birth certificate with both parents’ names to allow each parent the same legal rights to interact with schools, doctors and others.

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