On March 21, 2025 New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed SB 417 into law, amending New Mexico’s Adoption Act and the New Mexico Uniform Parentage Act to establish provisions for confirmatory adoptions, streamlining and clarifying the legal framework surrounding adoption in the state.
Confirmatory adoptions are designed to affirm legal parent-child relationships for families that are formed through assisted reproduction. The new law addresses the growing need for clear legal recognition of such relationships, ensuring that children benefit from the stability and security that formal adoption provides. It provides a streamlined adoption path regardless of marital status and does not limit recognition to two parents. Finally, the law updates existing law to clarify that consent to assisted reproduction, required for legal parental recognition, can occur before, on, or after a child’s birth date in written or oral form.
“Equality New Mexico’s vital bill has ushered in critical safeguards for New Mexico families,” said Meg York, Director of LGBTQ+ Family Law and Policy. “By signing the Confirmatory Adoption bill into law, New Mexico sends a clear message of support to families created through assisted reproduction, allowing parents to confirm their parent-child relationships with dignity and ease.”
Thank you to:
- Bill sponsors Senator Stewart, Representative Anaya, Senator Jaramillo, Senator Hamblen, and Representative Szczepanski
- Governor Grisham and the New Mexico legislature
- Equality New Mexico, Marshall Martinez, and Attorney N. Lynn Perls