Argentina Makes History With Three-Parent Birth Certificate

The government of the province of Buenos Aires made history last Thursday by granting Latin America's first legal recognition of a three-parent family.

It allowed a lesbian couple and their son's biological father, who donated sperm for their pregnancy, to be included on the child's birth certificate, according to multiple media outlets.

"We are so proud on this historic day of the decision of the Buenos Aires Provincial government," Esteban Paulon, president of the Lesbians, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Federation of Argentina reportedly told Agence France-Presse. "We didn't even need to request any legal assistance."

Claudia Corrado, director of the government's Registrar of Persons, said in a statement issued to the media that inclusion of the biological father's name on the birth certificate means that Hernan Melazzi, 37, has not relinquished his parenting rights or responsibilities, and that the child's best interests are best served by all three parents being recognized.

The now one-year-old child, whose name is Antonio, lives with his two mothers--Susana Guichal and Valeria Gaete, both 39--in Mar del Plata, while his father lives in the city of Buenos Aires.

Gaete and Guichal were married in 2012 and have been in a committed relationship for 11 years. The women say they never thought of Melazzi, a close friend, as merely a sperm donor.

"This is a very important moment for the three of us and for Antonio, our child," said Melazzi to reporters upon receiving the birth certificate with all the names on it.

Cesar Cigliutti, president of LGBT advocacy organization Argentinian Gay Community, issued a statement declaring pride in Argentina's progressive stance on LGBT issues, which stated, "We are in a country where the government guarantees the rights of our diverse families and identities."

In 2013, Argentina became the first nation to recognize a six-year-old transgender girl's gender identity.

(Mariano Datolli contributed translation for this article.)