Court says custody issues are same for gay parents

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Same-sex couples who raise children are lawful parents, and just like heterosexual couples, they must provide for their children if they break up, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.

The justices ruled for the first time that custody and child support laws that hold absent fathers accountable also apply to estranged gay and lesbian couples who used reproductive science to conceive.

Being a legal parent "brings with it the benefits as well as the responsibilities," said Justice Joyce Kennard.