California Senator: Let Kids Have 3 Parents—or More

Meet Mom, Dad, and Dad? Maybe, if California state Sen. Mark Leno has his way. He has introduced a bill that would do away with the law that says kids can have a maximum of two legal parents, reports the Sacramento Bee. So if a lesbian couple conceived a baby with a male friend's help and he stayed in the picture, or if a pregnant woman started dating a man who raised the child in tandem with the biological father, all three people in each case could be deemed parents.

The move would make things easier for judges, who, under current California law, must decide which two parents have rights when three or more are arguing about things like custody and child support. Of course, it could make some things messier, too, like tax dedications, school notifications, and Social Security rights. "The bill brings California into the 21st century, recognizing that there are more than Ozzie and Harriet families today," says the Democrat. Critics call SB 1476 an "absurd" attempt to mess with the family structure. The bill has passed the Senate; it's currently in the Assembly. (More parents stories.)