Case Information

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r' : II (). II I, . j " , ~/ / ii " L t 00432 'I ·11 -' . THE·' A'l."'lI"ORNEY GENERAL ···.·oFTEXAS . .

anAL))> C. ),1,ANN

.X;1(~~~X ATTORNEY GENEIRAlr .. .()pinion No.p-S3~ .

Han. GeCj). W. COX

State Health Officer . Re: .. May the CorOl of .birth certificate

.AU$tin~ ~~.)\:a;s. of the Texlls .r)epartUlento£· Hejith '".

i"l: ,ina~optedcMld reveal two . ·mothers.if~he repol"tofadopti,9n fQrwa'l':del~ fro.n; a IHstrict Cou.rt ," .' 'hame$; t)voi.vo~enas having adopted lOilidminor chHd? ,

.' We.al:e il):l'eceipt ofyo)l:r lettel:'of March Ill, which. reads as follows:.

. ."W e havethel'.~port .~f.an.adoption • in tlie 7 1st .. Dis- .

. ~rictCourt.()fl;J.al"}'isori Co.\.Intynaming M.rs. Mamie M.

Mo()re ,afemesQle.'llnd Miss LillieMer:r.bache.l' ashav- .

ing.adoptedM.argal'et.i;li:r.ahethMcClurean,dotherchHd-

re·n.

"Unde.rtheadopti.on lawof),1ay 8. 1935, as affect,.

ing.theStateBllr~Il)i, ~l1e S;tate Registral'. is.reqllired to

r'emove the cel'tiflciite of Ilatlll'albil'thalldplace in its

stead a bil'th certi~it:ate £or the child shQwing the pli/.l'ents

• . by adoptiOn; ' .

"Yollrde.partmenthas ruled that the words 'by ·li/.dopt.ion~ s~Ql1.j;dnot be shown on the certificate, but that . the names ofthfl.adopting pal'entS should be shown as.

the natuulpa.rents pf thet:htJd., The adopted form·of

bi!tll.certif.icate·fol:Texaf!P.l'ovidesfor but one, mother •

. ~~. ifi't'ollQwing the liiwitappeaJ"s that in thlf! case the ~'ri1.eli -<>f tWo mt)thers must appear on the certificate • . A coPy or thE!apopted fo.r,m of birth certificate is enclosed~

.: .: Plejise}dvis~. ~st()how th~ ·1;>.itth certificate of this .child

sho,wing'il<Noqlothers shou14be wri.tte~." :'.

We'\vish tocallyqur attention to Article 46a. Section 1:. of Ver non's Annotated.CiyUStatlltes wp.ich wequ.ote in full:

.. ". *2 H;l1>Jl.Qeo. W. Cox. ,Aprill9. 1939. Page 2 004.33 , , , ; . Any .idldt :re$).dellct o£ ~hi$ stllte. may petition theqi$" .. ;", )."

trtct cOurt i.ntlle di$trict of hip residence or in the dis-trict Cit thereSide:qee. qftliechjJd tobeadop-ted tor leave '-t$ ·ami.norchi.ld;s:u:cli petition shaij setfQrth the flict rE!levari'

to petiti.One;rand chi.id.and ,be veri{ied by the amdliv~to£ the petitioner.:aut~suchpetj.tiQnmade by married persons skaU be, gr~nted unless thehU.sban:d:-~,q wife shall join there~ in.exc-eptfrtg whi!n sU,chpetitioner shall be. marriell to th¢ natura;J.father oi,m9the,r; then su-ch jpciner by such father ,or l,:no±her shall. b.e unnecessary." . ' ,.

, 'Sa~dsectiOnproYid1:! stOi- the adopth;1n 01. a mbio.r cMl-d by. "any adUJt. r.esident':\l£thiss:t;l.tE!;" Ii refers to thea.dQpte'q pllrty <loS "petit!oner" lnidstipti:latest4a't-'if the petittcln fprllMp#on is made by ~,Il m;,u-rled ~r­ "$;oii"the,latt,h!s ~u:sband (,,:t'y.>J.{e must join therein. ltdoesnot prO'\Tide.for

'Iljtij,nt adopti$of"a" mirii:l:r"21itldGther 'tIian th<l.t ~. hUSband and wife. ' . 't~:<~

, 'thelitl1:~itg¢,liI(the, statute is clear ande)Cplj.cit tGthee£~ect tha~a.dopti,OnOf a mi.np,!-, chUd in ':rexas m,ust he made by a. $in/ile pers$nor '.:a.' mar.ri.e:o ' pe~~hn. jl)hl~dbyhU!lb;1n!l'orwtf:e in the pro,Ce¢<'Iings. lidoes not p:r.o~de .f:..or the ad~til)nGf:.. ,a mhtOr t':hil~ by two; or .more single perso'ltS ,j;i)itt't.lY or by a sinilepersottand marriedperso.n joi.ntlY. Wea,re of the: . 'Gpinj:Qn that,t)ie 'la-Why. implicatiQrt' forbids ;al1"joint·~dGpth)ll,. proceedings

Gther thattth9sebya :lirtsbilnd itndwife; Con$~q,uelltly.wequ.estiGn the vilHd'" Uya£. aGopti~n'p:rQ'ceedlngs ,sq-ehas !li.d1c:atedby th,e fir st paragraph ef your l~tter whicll:re~erredto~JiJ1rs.MainiE;M. ~cn:>re, a feme sole. ind Miss Lillie Merzbaclier as having Illl0p.ted Ma,rg1l-retEli;!Oabeth McClure and othe'r children. ,;

,Fti.rth-ermoriol. the-sux-estg'uidi? to ii ¢orredic;ollstruction (If a statute is secured by as.certaming'th.e'purpase iis makers intended it ,Should accomplish:. Th'eGbjedof'the Texas Legislatu.re .in enacting the ,stilte 'sa4option statute was to secure for the adopted child a legal statu,s .' whi-ch would most c1oselyapproximate that prnviGed by natural pa.rents and the home of natar<lol p.al"ent». Thepuplicillterestand the wel£ilre of the child a.re dependent upon an {nterp,l'etatio.it':O£ the adopti.pnistatute which will not doviGlenceto natural laWs •• To allow'an adoptionbytwG mothers 0.1' two ,father's jointly wo.uld ,create .a 'co.m~lkated and irreg)llar domestic positicm {pr a minor. in ,c'Ontravention of the' policy of the statute and the purpose of the Legislature. "

The case of Krugv. DaYis. 87 India.ria 590. is authority for the construction we plac'e'tin the ad6piionstatute of. Texas.: The statute under c'Onsider'at~nn there; ;Revised Civil Statutes. 1 881; Sections 823j;hr:GIlgh 828.

pr<rirtded that a.ny person desirOJlsofadQpting any chnd may file his pe.titioil ,-" "' ..

. .;. }" ;"l

*3 i I 00434: Rono Ge.oo W. Cox, April 19, 1939, Page 3

I therefor in the circuit er other proper court in the county in which s.aid child resides, etc •. It W<l,sco.ntenped that under the st.atute, no two per I I sons, not even husb<l,nd and wife, could unite in pr.oceedings to. adQpt a chilli. 'the court rejected this contention, holding that'a husb<l,nd and wife couid effect <I, joint ~doptiori, buts<l,id by way of dl.ciu,m:

r "It would be inconsistent with the general scope and purpos:.! Of this statute to perrpittwo or more pe.rSQllS rep~ resenting different fa.inilies to jobftlyor concurrent~y the same chUd, but that objection,' in oUr estimation, dOeS not apply to joint proceedmgsby husband <l,nd wife f~rthe I adoption of <I, childo ..

.f. '. On petiti(m fl;Jr rehe;l.ring in the ab.ove C.<I,62, tlie fOFmer'OIi- inion. was sustainel'l: . ...

"CouU:seLmisapprehend the effect O£olU' Qpinion tithey .' r.eally sUpp.Qse it to detlare tb:at ariitwo persens 6th;;r than .•.

a husband andwi;e maY aliopt same chi.1d. No such~ean- 1Jl.g can possibly be given file opinion, ';l'hepecuUar relation ..

. 0£ husband and wife, <l,nd the place. in their family and <I,££ecticm.s wh.ich the . law inWndsi;he<l,doptel'l chil~to t;!.ke;' we . considered ! .as matters exerting<l,c~:trol1iug influeu(;e up.onthecoustruc .... tiPll to begive.n t'ne statute and a,s milking itpraperto ~jlidge thathusbl'lld <l,nd<wif¢might unite inad£ipiling a chHii,.<ind·:thus make it .a<;:hi!dliJ;f bji)i;h •. 'We. neither h,e:ld<>r mea.n~ tn hold that pe.rSOns . other than husband and wife. might join, ii(;r,.f6 there ,anything jrI whaj; we sa.i.d le.<I,ding ,to such a,<;qnclu'sit1n, "

We hill¢! thatun.der Artk.~e 46A., Selitton i;'9fYe~on's An.npo;- t;ited .Civil statutes, apji)ve quoteA, a jointad:op#d.n of arlljnor chUd by two wO~E!n, both femes sale, is illegal, .and tha:t the. birttt c.~rtificat¢ qfthe 'fexasDeparlment of ;Health for a.nadopte.d .child may nO.Ll'evea1i;wa mothers, . even thpugh the report.Q£adopj;ion from a. dist1.-rd courtn;l.mes tWtl. single wpmen'.;!.s having;l.dop.t¢d a minorda~1d • .A.doptiQll prQceeaIngs niiming two women <l,s having adop~done .min.or child are iavaHd and must be re·ferred to the dist.rict court of origin. for cQrr.ectj:!tIn.

Since the. report !J.f adoption accordit'tgtoyol1t:' letter ,refe·rs . to "Margaret Eli'z;!l-pe,th M'cCJure and other chHdren." aEl having been adllpted Mrs. Mamie M .. MQore,a €emesoie. and. Miss Lillie Mer~bacher,~here is po.sSibJ.lity thate.ach .of the two WDmenail,opteddHferent chUd.ren. This shOUld he investigated. (UI1,derscoring ours)

*4 • H .. oli • Geo. W. Cox~\, April 19, .I.9l_9., Pag~-~

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. yours' very truly AT'l,'OR~EY GENERAL OF TEXAS lsi Dick Stout Dkk Stout .Assistant .~ '.,'.- DS:omb:da

APPROVJi:O: .

lsi Gera).9C. Mann