Couple react to 'amazing' birth certificate change

Jen (left) and Sarah were one of the first couples in Jersey to have their child's birth certificate changed

A same-sex couple in Jersey say it is "amazing" to have both their names on their son's birth certificate.

Before Monday, same-sex couples such as Jen and Sarah Hopley were not able to have both their names on the document, which meant they had fewer legal responsibilities and rights compared to mixed-sex couples.

They were one of the first couples to use the change in the law to alter their son's birth certificate.

Jen said it was "so good to finally have two parents on his birth certificate" and Sarah said "to have both of us recognised on there is just lovely".

Campaigners in the island had been calling for the law to be changed for nearly a decade.

Jen said: "We are both parents - he is DNA and he's my egg – but, because I didn't carry him, I wasn't a parent. Now I get to be a parent."

Sarah added: "I think for Jen to be legally recognised as his parent and have the same responsibilities as all other parents is just really nice."

The government said the reforms recognised and supported modern family structures.

Before the law change, only one person would be on the certificate, meaning they had fewer legal rights than mixed-sex couples