The two letters, which criticized the State Department’s position as “cruel,” “offensive” and “deeply disturbing,” are the latest escalation in tensions over a longstanding citizenship policy that has recently come under scrutiny for its effect on same-sex couples. Under State Department policy, children born abroad must have a biological connection to an American parent to receive citizenship at birth. That is not a problem when couples have babies the traditional way, but can prove tricky when couples — particularly gay and lesbian couples — have children through techniques like surrogacy and in vitro fertilization, if only one spouse is the genetic parent. Because the department focuses on biological parentage, certain assisted reproductive technology cases are treated as “out of wedlock,” even if the child’s legal parents are married. That designation triggers a higher threshold for transmitting citizenship, which can include additional residency requirements for the parents that might not apply if the child had been born without reproductive help.

Source: International New York Times June 06, 2019 22:29 UTC