A civil union did not confer parenting rights to a woman whose partner died, a downstate appeals court has ruled.The 5th District Appellate Court panel held that a person in a civil union does not qualify as a stepparent to their partner’s biological child under state law.The appellate panel in Mount Vernon ruled in an April 11 opinion that Kris Fulkerson did not have standing to seek visitation and responsibilities for her deceased partner’s child, A.S., under the Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act …