A Woman Was Denied the Right to Accompany Her Child to the ER Because He Was ‘Not the Biological Mother’

The events took place in March 2019, at a pediatric ER in Perpignan, France, where a lesbian couple's child had to be treated for inflammation. Unfortunately, one of the two mothers was unable to be by her three-year-old son's side, because only the biological mother was allowed to enter the treatment room.

A shock for the mom

Céline, the mother who was forbidden access to the room, spoke to Komitid:

"It was a real shock, I couldn't believe it (...). We wanted to avoid making a scene, but why would they say that in front of the boy? That's hard for a child to hear!"

Her partner, on the other hand, was allowed into the treatment room, because she is the boy's biological mother. But she says that two men in white coats stood in front of the door to the room where the little boy was being treated. According to her, they were there to stop Céline from entering the room, even though she had a document that proved she was the child's legal guardian.

Some stereotypes die hard

"We told ourselves that maybe they're just not used to homoparental families (...). I felt extremely disrespected and unheard. Not being recognized as a parent in front of my own child hit me really hard."

Those were Céline's final words to our colleagues at Komitid. The couple decided to file a complaint with local law enforcement, who advised them to file a police report instead.