Adoption
Iowa Code § 600.4
The rights of LGBT Iowans to adopt children are not entirely settled. Iowa Code § 600.4(1) says that “an unmarried adult” can adopt a child, and does not appear to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, the remaining subsections of Code § 600.4, which talk about couples, consistently use the words “husband” and “wife,” which implies exclusion of same-sex couples. Despite this, same-sex couples have been allowed to adopt children; for instance, the plaintiffs in Gartner v. Iowa Department of Public Health (which established the right of same-sex couples to have both spouses listed as parents on the birth certificate of a child born to one of them during their marriage) had previously completed a “second-parent” adoption, gaining legal recognition for both as parents of a child born to one of them before they were married. To date, there has not been a definitive legislative or judicial action establishing a clear right for LGBT couples to jointly adopt a child.