Groundbreaking Family: Two Ottawa Women, One Boy And A Legal Precedent

Two Ottawa women have set a precedent by becoming legally recognized co-mothers of a boy, even though they are not in a romantic relationship.

 

Lynda Collins was granted what’s known as a declaration of parentage after years of co-parenting seven-year-old Elaan, the biological son of her good friend Natasha Bakht.

 

Because Collins and Bakht are friends and colleagues, not romantic partners, Collins couldn’t formally adopt Elaan. But the two women were able to convince a judge that it was in Elaan’s best interest to give Collins the same legal parental rights as Bakht.