The ruling reverses a 25-year-old precedent that had barred non-adoptive, non-biological parents from claiming parenting rights.
The decision focused on changing social and legal definitions of family and parenting.
The Court limited its ruling to instances where two parents together decided to conceive and raise a child.
The Court did not rule on whether non-biological, non-adoptive parents have parenting rights in situations where a couple did not choose to conceive a child, but did choose to raise the child after conception.
In addition, it was noted that that Family Court retains power to make custody and visitation decisions in individual cases based on its discretion.
Click here to read the decision.