By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
A three-parent birth certificate? It's becoming more common
012dddec98827b7b7afc4bf25fe55dc6b3cb976669d35da91f9c01f89a3b8a15
Governments and individuals are increasingly grappling with changes in family, including the listing of three parents on a child's birth certificate. - photo by Lois M. Collins
Changes to family structure increasingly prompt changes to family paperwork, including in some communities where a birth certificate lists three parents instead of the customary two.

Thursday, New Jersey attorney Tabltha Y. Clark issued a press release announcing she's going to take on New Jersey's attorney general, who is asking a court there to vacate an order that gives three adults equal legal parental rights. She's also seeking on behalf of her clients a birth certificate that includes the names of all three parents.

That's not common, but neither is it without precedent. Internationally, families are choosing their own structure and increasingly they ask for the paperwork to back it up. For instance, Argentina in May became the first Latin American country "to recognize same-sex partners and a biological parent on a child's birth certificate," according to The Advocate.

In 2013, ABC News reported that a Miami judge had allowed a same-sex female couple and the male friend who provided the sperm so one of them women could become pregnant to all be listed on the child's birth certificate, for a total of three parents. When he became concerned they were leaving him out, he sought legal protection of his parental rights; the three were able to work things out.

ABC reported that "according to Florida law, sperm donors do not have any parental rights. However, (a spokesman) stressed that this case was not affected by this law and does not affect the current Florida law, because there is an agreement between the two parties."

Often, the cases involve a same-sex couple and an opposite-sex friend who agrees to help facilitate a pregnancy by providing either sperm or egg.

Two years ago, a lesbian couple and their male friend became British Columbia's first three-parent group to take advantage of a new law that allows that on birth certificates, according to Huffington Post.

Before the baby "was conceived, the three drafted a contract outlining how they wanted their family to work. The British Columbian law, called the Family Law Act, said the contracts have to be in place before the child is conceived. The parents agreed the two women would be financially responsible for the baby and would have custody, but the male "would be a legal guardian with rights to access," the article said.

The case Clark is litigating is a little different, according to the release. "The case, E.Q. v. E.C. & D.L., began in 2012 as a civil union dissolution action in Warren County when E.Q. sought to divorce her wife E.C. One child was born of the marriage to E.C. and was thought to have been conceived by artificial insemination. E.Q., the non-biological mother, later formally adopted the child. Biological father D.L. plead into the pending divorce as a third party plaintiff and proved that the child was conceived in an extra-marital affair with E.C. In March 2013, the parties entered into a consent order whereby they would each be the child's legal parent with equal rights and be afforded reasonable parenting time."

"We wanted to decide for ourselves what our family looks like and how it is defined," said E.Q. in a written statement. "Ours is a story like many others across the nation whose family does not fit in the state's predetermined boxes."

She suggested the decision will impact many LGBT families.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
93cbd7a5475cccd1cee701424125d3abaa9b4beaa58d3663208f656cbbbd7661
A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.