Karla Rosalina advocates for parental rights reform in Denmark

Karla Rosalina, a 26-year-old woman, was adopted by her father during her parents’ divorce when she was a child. She grew up in a rainbow family with a lesbian mother and an actively involved father. However, when her mother entered a new relationship, there was no room for her father to maintain custody. Currently, Denmark is home to 58,000 LGBT+ families and recognizes 37 different family structures, but legally permits custody to be held by only two parents. Karla Rosalina believes it is time to change this law.

Under Danish legislation, only two individuals can hold parental authority, which restricts the ability to take a child to the doctor, communicate with schools, or apply for passports. This legal limitation has deeply affected Karla Rosalina emotionally. She recalls realizing early on that she and her family were disadvantaged by the system: “I had no real counterargument when people told me I didn’t have a real father. The system was against me, and those confronting me had the system on their side,” she shared.

Some professionals oppose changes to the law, suggesting that more legal parents could complicate custody cases even further. Theologian Morten Bangsgaard and family lawyer Anja Falk Rømer warn that adding more individuals to parental rights could lead to complicated and high-conflict divorce situations. Falk Rømer cautions that children might suffer in such scenarios, highlighting the existing challenges with high-conflict cases involving just two parents. Birthe Rønn Hornbech, a former minister, also weighed in on the debate, emphasizing the need for a coherent approach to parental rights.