Image via WikipediaA British gay man and a lesbian woman are in dispute over their children. They are locked into an unprecedented battle in a British court over access of their children who were conceived and born through artificial insemination.
The lesbian mother and her long-term partner have taken their case to the Court of Appeal after the sperm donor father won a shared residency order earlier this year. This allows him to see his children for almost half the time.
The parents met after he had placed an ad in the Gay Times in 1999. The ad said." Gay guy wants to be a Dad. White, handsome, solvent 30's, professional, in happy relationship, non-scene, has everything but kids." The ad also said." I require little involvement. I have a lot to offer."
He then reportedly donated sperm on two occasions to the lesbian couple, who had a boy and girl, now aged nine and seven respectively. The father had parental responsibility for the children from the outset, which gave him the legal right to seek greater access later on.
Now the mother is accusing the father of trying to "marginalise" her lesbian partner. The legal representative of the lesbian couple told a panel of three judges that the children need and have a permanent home with them. She accepted the children had a meaningful relationship with their father and did not dispute his rights of contact with his children. But the mother claimed a residency order because the children had been with her and her partner since their birth and were their primary caregivers
The case will be watched closely by experts because it is unprecedented in establishing the rights of a donor and because of its impact on shared residency. Campaigners and fathers' groups want shared residency to be accepted as the norm on seperation of parents. The case continues!.
Acknowledgements: The Times
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