A state appeals court ruled that a verbal agreement between a woman and her sperm donor was invalid, and ordered the man to pay child support for the woman's twins.
The three-judge panel ruled Thursday that the deal between Joel McKiernan and Ivonne Ferguson--in which McKiernan donated his sperm and would not be obligated to pay any support--was unenforceable because of "legal, equitable and moral principles."
Despite an agreement that appeared to be a binding contract, the father is obligated to provide financial support, the court decided.
"It is the interest of the children we hold most dear,'" wrote Senior Judge Patrick Tamalia.
The decision could have implications for sperm and egg donors who expect anonymity, said Arthur Caplan, a professor and medical ethicist at the University of Pennsylvania.
"Anybody who is a sperm donor ought to understand that their identity could be made known to any child that's produced, and they could be seen by the courts as the best place to go to make sure the child has adequate financial support," he said Friday.
What this pretty much means is that you don't have to have sex, produce a child, and/or give birth to one before a divorce in order to get child support if you decide to go the scientific way of producing babies instead of the natural way.
Looks like if this becomes a national thing, the writers over at Queer as Folk are going to have to make Brian pay for his seed he gave Lindsay way back in the first season. I mean, hell, they already wrote episodes involving Gay marriage.
Fiction aside, this judgment is rather stupid. The only reason, to my understanding, that they even keep the donors on records is just in case they have a spouse that wants to have a baby. The ones that don't want their names publicly recorded are the ones that, like my stupid example, give their seeds and eggs to whoever wants it for whatever reason. They can choose to find out who the donor is or not. But to ask for child support over a test-tube baby? No. That would mean that men donating sperm would have to pay a married couple, who, in theory, could easily provide for their child, just because the kid is made from his seed. I know what you're thinking. Hey, that's not a bad idea! Even more money! Well, that money has to come from somewhere, right? The more money you get, the less money someone else has.
My suggestion? Don't donate your sperm or eggs. Donate any other part of your body, but not your reproductive organs. There's too many damn people in this world already.
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