Post by angelnmo on Apr 27, 2008 18:23:46 GMT -5
Watch out men, this could be you next!!
I thought this was a pretty interesting article and wanted to share:
Sperm donor to lesbian couple forced to pay child supportRachel Williams The Guardian, Tuesday December 4 2007 Article historyAbout this articleClose This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday December 04 2007 on p3 of the Top stories section. It was last updated at 00:35 on December 04 2007. A firefighter who donated sperm to a lesbian couple said yesterday that he was being made to pay child support for their son and daughter, in a case believed to be the first of its kind in Britain.
Andy Bathie, 37, said the women, who approached him five years ago after other male friends declined to become donors, assured him he would have no personal or financial involvement in the children's upbringing. But he said the Child Support Agency contacted him last November and made him take a £400 paternity test, then demanded support payments because the couple had split up.
Legally, only men who donate sperm through licensed fertility clinics do not become the father of any children conceived using their donation.
Proposed legislation, at committee stage in the House of Lords before passing to the Commons, would give equal parenting rights, including financial responsibilities, to both members of same sex couples, but the change will come too late for Bathie, who is lobbying for the laws to be made retrospective and for him not to be seen as the legal parent of the children, now aged two and four.
"These women wanted to be parents and take on the responsibilities that brings. I would never have agreed to this unless they had been a committed family. And now I can't afford to have children with my own wife - it's crippling me financially," he told the Evening Standard.
At the time of his donation, Bathie was in a relationship with a woman who was not planning to have children, but he has since married someone else.
"I did look into the legal side and understood that as a couple they would be the parents, not me. I was never daddy. They wanted children as a couple, which means they should take responsibility. The CSA admit that mine is an unusual case - this is double standards."
A spokeswoman for the CSA said: "Unless the child is legally adopted, both biological parents are financially responsible; the Child Support Agency legislation is not gender or partnership based.
Natalie Gamble, a fertility law expert at Lester Aldridge, who has advised Bathie, said the case was the first of its kind she had come across. "Currently a non-birth mother in this situation is not automatically recognised as the parent in law, so she is not financially responsible. If the law being proposed was to apply in Andy's case, his responsibility for the child would be passed to the non-birth mother."
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority warned that "DIY" donors using methods such as unlicensed websites or home insemination were financially liable for their offspring.
Phil Willis MP, chairman of the innovation, universities and skills select committee, which deals with human fertilisation and research, said: "The CSA has to look very carefully at the issue. I suspect he won't get his money back, as there would be a flood of similar applications."
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Printable version Send to a friend Share Clip Contact us Article history About this articleClose This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday December 04 2007 on p3 of the Top stories section. It was last updated at 00:35 on December 04 2007. ShareClose Digg reddit Google Bookmarks Yahoo! My Web del.icio.us StumbleUpon Newsvine livejournal Facebook BlinkList EmailClose Recipient's email address Your name Add a note (optional)
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I thought this was a pretty interesting article and wanted to share:
Sperm donor to lesbian couple forced to pay child supportRachel Williams The Guardian, Tuesday December 4 2007 Article historyAbout this articleClose This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday December 04 2007 on p3 of the Top stories section. It was last updated at 00:35 on December 04 2007. A firefighter who donated sperm to a lesbian couple said yesterday that he was being made to pay child support for their son and daughter, in a case believed to be the first of its kind in Britain.
Andy Bathie, 37, said the women, who approached him five years ago after other male friends declined to become donors, assured him he would have no personal or financial involvement in the children's upbringing. But he said the Child Support Agency contacted him last November and made him take a £400 paternity test, then demanded support payments because the couple had split up.
Legally, only men who donate sperm through licensed fertility clinics do not become the father of any children conceived using their donation.
Proposed legislation, at committee stage in the House of Lords before passing to the Commons, would give equal parenting rights, including financial responsibilities, to both members of same sex couples, but the change will come too late for Bathie, who is lobbying for the laws to be made retrospective and for him not to be seen as the legal parent of the children, now aged two and four.
"These women wanted to be parents and take on the responsibilities that brings. I would never have agreed to this unless they had been a committed family. And now I can't afford to have children with my own wife - it's crippling me financially," he told the Evening Standard.
At the time of his donation, Bathie was in a relationship with a woman who was not planning to have children, but he has since married someone else.
"I did look into the legal side and understood that as a couple they would be the parents, not me. I was never daddy. They wanted children as a couple, which means they should take responsibility. The CSA admit that mine is an unusual case - this is double standards."
A spokeswoman for the CSA said: "Unless the child is legally adopted, both biological parents are financially responsible; the Child Support Agency legislation is not gender or partnership based.
Natalie Gamble, a fertility law expert at Lester Aldridge, who has advised Bathie, said the case was the first of its kind she had come across. "Currently a non-birth mother in this situation is not automatically recognised as the parent in law, so she is not financially responsible. If the law being proposed was to apply in Andy's case, his responsibility for the child would be passed to the non-birth mother."
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority warned that "DIY" donors using methods such as unlicensed websites or home insemination were financially liable for their offspring.
Phil Willis MP, chairman of the innovation, universities and skills select committee, which deals with human fertilisation and research, said: "The CSA has to look very carefully at the issue. I suspect he won't get his money back, as there would be a flood of similar applications."
Printable version Send to a friend Share Clip Contact us larger | smaller ShareClose Digg reddit Google Bookmarks Yahoo! My Web del.icio.us StumbleUpon Newsvine livejournal Facebook BlinkList EmailClose Recipient's email address Your name Add a note (optional)
Contact usClose Contact the Politics editor
politics.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk Report errors or inaccuracies: reader@guardian.co.uk
Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@guardian.co.uk
If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk
Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard:
+44 (0)20 7278 2332
Advertising guide
License/buy our content
Politics
Immigration policy
UK news
World news
Gay rights
Society
Equality · Children
The Guardian
Politics
Useful sites
Home Office
Ministry of Justice
Printable version Send to a friend Share Clip Contact us Article history About this articleClose This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday December 04 2007 on p3 of the Top stories section. It was last updated at 00:35 on December 04 2007. ShareClose Digg reddit Google Bookmarks Yahoo! My Web del.icio.us StumbleUpon Newsvine livejournal Facebook BlinkList EmailClose Recipient's email address Your name Add a note (optional)
Contact usClose Contact the Politics editor
politics.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk Report errors or inaccuracies: reader@guardian.co.uk
Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@guardian.co.uk
If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk
Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard:
+44 (0)20 7278 2332
Advertising guide
License/buy our content
Latest news on guardian.co.uk
Last updated less than one minute ago
News
Austrian man hid daughter in cellar for 24 years
Politics
Blair told aide 'Gordon will lose to Cameron'
Find your MP
Enter name of the MP
Enter postcode or placename
Or browse the map | About this search
Sponsored features
Senior Project Manager
manchester city council-2. greater manchester. £38,404 to £40,101.
Sessional Prevention Worker
london borough of haringey. north london. Scale 5 £20,097 - £21,885 pa.
Secondary Consultant - Learning Transformation
london borough of ealing. ealing schools service is looking to further build…. £44,994 - £51,690 pa incl. of London Weighting and 3 SPA points.
Browse all jobs
Advertiser links
BlackBerry� For Business
San Diego Small Business Owners Say BlackBerry� Helps Them...
BlackBerry.com/smb
Good Credit Only- Gas Double Rebate
Good Credit Only- Compare Multiple Credit Card Offers &Apply...
CreditCardsCorp.com
buying car
Get quotes, view inventory & more online - Visit...
Chrysler.com
Find: new car| loan| investment isa| endowment| motor insurance