A gay couple has been told to divorce and remarry in order to legally keep their son, Above the Law reports.
Leandro Barreto and François Souyri are a French couple living in England, where they adopted their seven-year old son. They intend to move back to France, but were told that as a gay couple, they would have trouble gaining legal recognition of their parental rights.
The pair entered a civil partnership in the UK in 2008, and converted this agreement into a marriage as soon as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 was passed. The law allowed them to receive a marriage certificate backdating to the date of their civil union, but this isn’t recognized under French law. The French government has advised them that to be recognized as married and therefore have legal guardianship of their son, their only choice is to fraudulently divorce and remarry.
Chaninat & Leeds’ experienced family lawyers have assisted aspiring parents with Thailand adoption laws for decades.
UK Solicitor Colin Rogerson explains their predicament. “There are real difficulties for this couple under English law. Even if they were willing to get a divorce, they would need to show an irretrievable break down of marriage, which they clearly can’t legitimately do.”
Read the full story here
Related Articles: Pregnant Man Files for Divorce
Image: Vantkimb
{ 0 comments… add one now }