1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This article presents Quebec’s 2002 reforms relating to filiation to an English-language Canadian readership.» (p. 579)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’auteur utilise le Code civil du Québec ainsi que des données documentaire diverses.

Type de traitement des données :
Réflexion critique

3. Résumé

According to the author, «[t]he article takes three elements of Quebec’s regime and holds them against accounts of the parenting practices of lesbian couples drawn from the social sciences literature. The elements are the lack of formality for the exchange of consent that creates a parental project, the recognition of two women as legal ''mothers'' and the restriction to a pair of parents at most. The argument is that the lack of formality finds little support in the practices of lesbian parents, while recognizing two ''mothers'' and restricting parents to two rests on substantial - but not uncontradicted-evidence. Indeed, the complexity of the social science accounts hints at the difficulties of straightforward assumptions that family law can ever ''reflect'' or ''fit'' social practices.» (p. 579-580)