Nebraska Agrees to Change Birth Certificates to Include Same-Sex Parents

A quiet change is in the works behind the scenes at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, which will soon list the names of both same-sex spouses on their children's birth certificates, reported the Associated Press.

State attorneys who are contesting a lawsuit by several same-sex couples who challenged Nebraska's marriage ban revealed the change in court documents filed Tuesday. The U.S. Supreme Court decided to make marriage equality the law of the land on June 26, but the American Civil Liberties Union is supporting the couples in their fight to force a Nebraska judge to officially strike down the state's ban on same-sex marriage.

HHS spokeswoman Leah Bucco-White told the AP the state agency has begun the process to list both a child's biological parent and the parent's same-sex spouse on the child's birth certificate. However, for now she said HHS is sticking with the state's current birth certificate form, which does not include a place for same-sex spouses.

There is reason for concern, said ACLU Nebraska legal director Amy Miller. She said her office has received calls from family attorneys in the last two weeks who were told birth certificates issued to same-sex parents will list the nonbiological parent as "friend."

Bucco-White denied that the term "friend" would be listed on the form, but she declined to say how it might be worded.