The article is co-written by Amanda Weston KC of the Garden Court Chambers Family Law Team for Family Law, alongside Maya Achan of Coram Chambers.
In December 2024, a hybrid audience of some 100 invitees gathered to hear the 17th annual Family Justice Council debate. This year’s topic was “Has the time come to widen the scope of legal parentage?”. Six highly-qualified speakers were assembled to debate the question.
Speaking in favour of the expansion of the definition of ‘parent’ in family law were Natalie Gamble, solicitor, Dr Sophie Zadeh, Reader in family psychology and Andrew Powell, barrister with specialist expertise in international surrogacy cases. While Dafni Lima assistant professor in law, Susannah Johnson KC and Simon Rowbotham, Recorder – both experienced family barristers, spoke against. Following a stirring introduction to the topic by the President, a lively if well-disciplined debate ensued.
In this article, Amanda Weston KC of Garden Court Chambers and Maya Achan of Coram Chambers summarise the arguments for and against this controversial issue and, drawing on some recent authorities, make some pithy observations about the legal context in which the debate – and its overwhelming outcome – arise.
The full article has been published in LexisNexis’ March issue of Family Law.
