As the mother of two children with edited birth certificates, I am all about altering this official document when one of the parental categories just doesn't apply. But in the case of Thomas Beatie and his wife they both apply, just not to the right person.
So what's a pregnant man to do?
According to Slate, Beatie and his wife can do what lesbian parents (and gay and straight parents of children conceived through surrogacy) have been doing for years: they can ask for a new birth certificate that accurately documents their family structure. While Beatie will have to appear on the original certificate as "mother," he and his wife can petition the court to issue a new certificate which lists Beatie as the child's father and his wife as its mother.
And maybe then, when everyone is officially and legally just who they want to be, this news story will draw to a close and the Beatie family will live out their days quietly, far from the public eye.
Somehow I doubt it.
