LGBTQ Civil Rights Lawyer Claims Arkansas Birth Certificate Issuances Remain Inequitable

Five months after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling against issuing birth certificates to babies born to same-sex married women without court filings, the issue remains embattled. Noted Arkansas LGBTQ Civil Rights Attorney, Cheryl Maples, who appealed Arkansas's birth certificate law before the U.S. Supreme Court, says the legislature must amend all Arkansas birth certificate statutes to be in constitutional compliance. State Rep. Bob Ballinger (R-Berryville) expects the matter will be decided during next year's fiscal session, saying the process should be about registering the birth of the child and listing biological parents only -- and not marital status.