BOSTON - When deciding to start a family, Grafton’s Danny Morris and his husband had to go to another state for the birth of their children to ensure they were protected as legal parents. Now, others in Massachusetts won’t have to take the same action the Grafton couple did. 

“We, have a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old," Morris said. "We had them in through a surrogate in Pennsylvania because we could find more protections there.”

On a birth certificate, there is a space for a mother and a father. But it doesn’t match the identity of all families. For same-sex couples who go through donors to conceive, only the biological parent could be called the parent, forcing the other parent to go through a complex and often expensive adoption process.

“We got a pre-birth order through a judge to get both of our names on the birth certificates, which was important to us,” said Morris. “We didn't have to go through the adoption process for our own children. And now other, families are safer here.”

The updated law allows couples, regardless of their biological connection, to claim parentage at birth, giving them access to protections like health insurance and medical information and allow all families to make important decisions for their kids. 

Gov. Maura Healey calls it a proud day for the state. 

“What defines a family is love and commitment," she said. "That's what defines a family, not outdated notions of who should be a parent or how a child should come into the world.”

The law will go into effect in the new year. And parents will be able to fill out birth certificates to reflect the people raising the child.