(Tampa Bay Times) – Daunted by costs, some hopeful parents are stepping into a fertility world with few guardrails.

In 2021, the women broke up. As the couple filed for divorce, Brito and Rivera quietly filed to make the man the boy’s legal parent.

Florida, like most states, only recognizes two parents. Add one, and someone has to go.

Their legal drama sheds rare light on the minefield of off-the-books family planning. Any day now, when the state’s highest court weighs in, the dynamics of innumerable Florida families could shift.

When Salas learned Rivera had replaced her on the birth certificate, she felt blindsided, her lawyer said. She’d been Mom from day one, she’d argue in court. She’d stayed home with the baby for a year while Brito worked, she said. (Read More)