Friday Legal Updates™ - Lesbian Custody Disputes & Sperm Donor Anonymity
Surrogacy Issues - Well, we have had a quiet week - thank goodness! Especially after all the negative press last month regarding surrogacy. We do have a few issues to ponder, so here it is:
California - Santa Cruz court to hear custody hearing on former lesbian partners' dispute over twins. The sticking point in this case is that the sperm donor is now acting as the father, living with the biological, lesbian partner, and they are now a couple themselves. Currently, the judge has granted temporary visitation to the other partner until the hearing takes place.
Vermont - Contempt Hearing Scheduled in Lesbian Custody Battle. Another lesbian custody case has come to a head due to one former partner failing to exchange custody fo the child as ordered by the court.
"Many of those who are opposed to this custody exchange have used a series of arguments ranging from the argument that Isabella Miller is the biological daughter of Lisa Miller to arguments how Janet Jenkins is a stranger to Isabella Miller. Unfortunately for them, the law recognizes the rights of non-biological parents. Many men use sperm donors and women use egg donors and they are considered to be the parents of children conceived within any marriage or union that takes place even if they are not biologically related. In a case in California, a woman made the argument that her ex-husband was not the biological father of their child, and that meant that he had no rights with regards to the child. The courts found otherwise, and ultimately granted the ex-husband sole custody of the child after the woman followed the same course of action as Lisa Miller. As for the stranger argument, Janet Jenkins is the mother of Isabella by virtue of the civil union, and is only a stranger to Isabella since Lisa Miller has done her best to prevent any and all contact between Isabella Miller and Janet Jenkins."
Sad story for all involved regardless of anyone's sexual orientation.
Worldwide - Sperm Donor Anonymity - A hospital in Delftzijl has won its legal battle to keep the name of a sperm donor secret from the lesbian couple who had a baby using his sperm. The couple had gone to court to get the donor's details after their child was born with dark skin - they had chosen a white donor.
"The hospital suspects the sperm may have come from an Aruban man who was in the hospital withh is wife for an artificial insemination programme. Officials have offered to contact this couple on behalf of the two women.
Groningen court rejected the women's appeal for information, saying they should first take the hospital up on this offer."
Try and have a dry weekend everyone!
