Pregnant Lesbian Couples Sue Tennessee Governor Over 'Natural' Language Law [View all]

Source: NBC


Four married lesbian couples, each expecting children in the fall, have filed a lawsuit against Tennessee over the state's new "Natural and Ordinary" language law.

The law signed Friday by Gov. Bill Haslam mandates that all words in the state's various legal codes be interpreted to have "natural and ordinary" meanings — including words like "wife" and "mother," which the couples say could interfere with their parental rights.

The law, which seems vague and semantic at first glance, came after conservative legislators filed a motion to intervene in a high-profile lesbian custody battle in Knoxville last fall. A handful of bills proposed in January sought to restrict the definition of terms like "husband" and "wife" in response — and while Senate Bill 1085 never specifically mentions LGBT couples, critics and supporters alike have pointed out its intent.

"Undefined words shall be given their natural and ordinary meaning," the law reads, "Without forced or subtle construction that would limit or extend the meaning of the language, except when a contrary intention is clearly manifest."

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/amp/pregnant-lesbian-couples-sue-tennessee-governor-over-natural-language-law-n756591