15A V.S.A. § 1-102: Who may adopt or be adopted

(a) Subject to this title, any person may adopt or be adopted by another person for the purpose of creating the relationship of parent and child between them.

(b) If a family unit consists of a parent and the parent’s partner, and adoption is in the best interests of the child, the partner of a parent may adopt a child of the parent. Termination of the parent’s parental rights is unnecessary in an adoption under this subsection.