Denver, CO – On February 28th, the Colorado House of Representatives voted 53-11 to pass HB22-1153 “Family Affirmation Act” onto the Senate. One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Coloradans and their families, released the following statements:

"An LGBTQ couple’s decision to become parents is a beautiful one, filled with love and joy. There should not be obstacles that discriminate against the rights of the non-gestational parent. Non-gestational parents are parents, not stepparents or second-parents! HB 22-1153 ensures that Colorado families and parents of all types are seen and recognized on their journey to raising a family.”

‍– Nadine Bridges, MSW (she/her), One Colorado Executive Director

“We must make this process less cumbersome and eliminate the legal discrimination that is currently being imposed on LGBTQ+ couples who want to start families. I ask you to pass House Bill 22-1153 so that other families like mine don't have to maneuver through these complicated and expensive steps to protect their rights.”

‍– Megan Andersen, Colorado parent who testified in favor of HB22-1153

“Under Colorado’s laws, my wife still needs to go through the expensive and complicated adoption process just to be legally recognized as the mother of our child, even though she is Marlo’s biological parent. My wife, and every parent that goes through assisted reproduction, should have the same parental rights that I do. It’s time to modernize our laws so that every parent in our state has equal protections under the law.”

–Representative Daneya Esgar (she/her), D-Pueblo, House Majority Leader, House Co-Prime Sponsor

“When parents conceive using assisted reproduction, the law doesn’t always automatically recognize the parent-child relationship. In Colorado, there is a burdensome adoption process used to establish the parent-child legal relationship, which is costly, invasive and time consuming. The Family Affirmation Act would create a simplified legal process for parents so they can spend more time with their newborn and less time navigating the adoption process.”

‍–Representative Kerry Tipper (she/her), D-Jefferson, House Co-Prime Sponsor

The bill simplifies and clarifies the adoption process to ensure parents who conceive through assisted reproductive technology (ART) have an equal opportunity to build a family and legally confirm their parent-child relationship. Co-prime sponsors of HB22-1153 are Representative Daneya Esgar (D-Pueblo), Representative Kerry Tipper (D-Jefferson), Senator Dominick Moreno (D-Adams) and Senator Jeff Bridges (D-Arapahoe).