Except as otherwise provided in section 616 of this title, in a proceeding to adjudicate competing claims of parentage or challenges to a child’s parentage by two or more persons, the court shall adjudicate parentage in the best interests of the child, based on the following factors: (1) the age of the child;(2) the length of time during which each person assumed the role of parent of the child;(3) the nature of the relationship between the child and each person;(4) the harm to the child if the relationship between the child and each person is not recognized; (5) the basis for each person’s claim to parentage of the child; and(6) other equitable factors arising from the disruption of the relationship between the child and each person or the likelihood of other harm to the child. (b) Preservation of parent-child relationship. Consistent with the establishment of parentage under this chapter, a court may determine that a child has more than two parents if the court finds that it is in the best interests of the child to do so. sistent with the establishment of parentage under this chapter, a court may determine that a child has more than two parents if the court finds that it is in the best interests of the child to do so. A finding of best interests of the child under this subsection does not require a finding of unfitness of any parent or person seeking an adjudication of parentage. A determination of best interests may include consideration of evidence of prebirth intent to parent the child. (Added 2017, No. 162 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 2023, No. 175 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. July 1, 2024.)
Vermont Legal Code