Unmarried couples — including gay partners — could jointly adopt children under a bill (LB571) discussed by senators on Tuesday.

Lesbian couples were among those who testified in support of the bill, telling members of a legislative committee that joint adoption would provide children more protection by assuring them they would have a legal parent if one member of the couple died.

Currently, only married couples can jointly adopt children, and gay marriage is not allowed in the state. The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis refused last summer to reconsider a ruling by its three-judge panel that reinstated Nebraska’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

Sen. Lowen Kruse of Omaha, who introduced the bill, said it also would help unmarried heterosexual couples who want to adopt children.