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May 10, 2007

Last week in a post about men's "reproductive rights" ending at conception, I linked to an article which mentioned cases of males being held liable for child support even when the father of the child was the victim of statutory rape, or when the woman had signed an agreement waiving the man's financial obligations. At the very time I was writing that post, another case was being added to the list: a sperm donor is being ordered to pay child support for two children he enabled a lesbian couple to conceive.

The man was a "longtime friend" of one of the lesbians, and the...er...donation process occurred at the mother's home. When the lesbian couple split up, the non-biological mother was held liable for child support. She sued to force the biological father to contribute. The lower court ruled against her, but an appeals court has reversed that ruling.

The appeals court decision would seem completely ridiculous except that--far from being a mere sperm donor--the biological father has been involved in the children's lives, including spending "thousands of dollars" on items for them. And yet another wrinkle in the case--the man suddenly died of a stroke in March.

A very interesting case, to say the least.

Posted by Eric Seymour at May 10, 2007 08:40 AM

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