Danielle Wiley, left, and Anne Richards with three-month-old daughter Della Wolf Kangro Wiley Richards. Della is the daughter of lesbian parents and their male friend.
Vancouver baby becomes first person to have three parents named on birth certificate in B.C.
A Vancouver baby has three parents named on her birth certificate, the first under new B.C. legislation that allows up to four legal parents.
Della Wolf Kangro Wiley Richards, three months old, became the legal daughter of a lesbian couple and their male friend after finalizing the registration
process last week.
process last week.
They are among the first Canadians to achieve this without using litigation, under British Columbia’s new Family Law Act passed last year.
When they decided to have a child, Anna Richards and wife Danielle Wiley both agreed that they wanted a father figure, rather than an anonymous donor.
Family photoShawn Kangro, left, and Danielle Wiley, with three-month-old daughter Della Wolf Kangro Wiley Richards. The Vancouver baby has just become the first child in British Columbia with three parents listed on a birth certificate.
“We wanted our kids to know where they came from biologically and actually liked the idea of having an extended family,” Ms. Richards says. “It didn’t threaten us to have another person’s involvement so long as it was the right person.”
Ms. Richards had gone to university with the father, Shawn Kangro, a close friend with whom she had informally joked about having kids together.
with the father, Shawn Kangro, a close friend with whom she had informally joked about having kids together.
“Almost instantly, I knew I was going to be considering it really well,” Mr. Kangro says, adding that he consulted with his mother, sister and friends before making a decision. “It naturally felt very right.”
The three drafted up a formal agreement that set out the rules of their new relationship. They agreed that Ms. Richards and Ms. Wiley would be Della’s primary caregivers, responsible for custody and finances. Mr. Kangro, on the other hand, would be Della’s guardian by having a say in important decisions, like her schooling and medical history, and would have rights to access.
Ms. Wiley became pregnant with Della in January, 2013, with the help of a syringe, and gave birth on Oct. 23, 2013.
Family photoShawn Kangro, left, and Anna Richards with three-month-old daughter Della Wolf Kangro Wiley Richards.
The couple first tried to apply last month for the certificate online, but were rejected when the form only offered two spots for parents’ names. They then received a form in the mail that also needed to be tweaked.
last month for the certificate online, but were rejected when the form only offered two spots for parents’ names. They then received a form in the mail that also needed to be tweaked.
“In order to put me in as the non-biological mother in second row, we had to declare that the father was not recognized or was unable to be a father — which did not reflect our situation,” Ms. Richards says, adding that they changed the form’s wording.
No other provinces have legislation that allows more than two parents on a birth certificate, although such circumstances can be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
In January, 2007, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that a young boy could have one legal father and two legal mothers — making them the first official three-parent family in Canada.
The case created a precedent in Ontario that looks at four different situations: if the sperm donor is known; if he doesn’t want to concede parental rights; if the mother has a partner who wants recognized parental rights; and if the biological mother and father both agree to a third parent.
If a family falls under these circumstances, they can apply to a court to look at the situation, citing up to almost $4,000 in legal fees.
to a court to look at the situation, citing up to almost $4,000 in legal fees.
For now, Della’s parents are happy with the situation. When Mr. Kangro isn’t travelling for his job, he’s at the couple’s house every day to visit the baby.
“All of a sudden, all of Anna’s family and all of Danielle’s family is essentially my family,” he says. “We’re joining three families together through Della and possibly future children.”
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