Who's the Father?

Abstract

As this brief online essay observes, the litigation that produced the Supreme Court 2013 decision in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl demonstrates why we are no closer to a definitive resolution of what to do when parents do not share assumptions about how to raise their child. The case illustrates the national lack of agreement on what makes someone a parent. At the core of these differences is the question of how to align parental behavior with the promotion of the child’s interest in stable and secure relationships.