A judge this week granted two women and a man the right to claim legal parent status of a baby born in late August. All three parents have their name on the baby's birth certificate, thus laying claim to being the family in the world with three legally-recognized parents. But maybe they're not the last.


The baby was born to two married women, who asked a male friend to help them conceive. He agreed, as long as he could participate fully as a father to the child too. When the baby was born, the group petitioned a judge to allow them to put all three of their names of the birth certificate.

Judge Rafael Pagnon Cunha agreed, and BBC News reports him saying:

Being a father and a mother is above all about taking care and fulfilling tasks. I feel sure that for this child the possibility of happiness will be very great.


This may be the first of many families that want to lay claim to more than two parents for their children. Polyamorous families as well as gay parents could gain more rights to care for their children — and, as Judge Cunha noted, this can only be good for the child. Many studies have shown that children with more than one parent gain advantages which lead to better socioeconomic outcomes.