You can post whatever you want, I'm just starting with this particular one. Pure greatness. Law school fodder at the moment, I'm sure.
Now then, is the verdict legitimate in your opinion? I think the courts should have gone after the other lesbian for support, since that was the family unit. A sperm donor is not a father or mother, but rather a biological parent. Fathers and mothers are roles, indicative of a sustained familial obligation.
I think most U.S. states have laws on the books that prevent donors from being held liable for supportive duties unless a formal agreed contract exists spelling out that relationship. But it's interesting that Sweden decided to take the road that it did.
AP article said:Sperm donor ordered to pay child support
October 13, 2005
A Swedish man who donated his sperm to a lesbian couple must pay child support for the three children he fathered, Sweden's Supreme Court has ruled.
The man, now 39, donated his sperm to the couple in the early 1990s.
Three sons were born during the years 1992-1996, according to Swedish news agency TT, which reported the ruling.
The man told the court that he and the women had agreed that he would play no role in the boys' child-rearing and that the two women would be their parents.
Nonetheless, the man signed a document confirming that he was the biological father of the children.
Shortly after he signed the document, the two women separated and the biological mother demanded that the man pay child support.
The man took the case to court, but lost in the district and appeals courts.
The Supreme Court upheld those rulings on Wednesday, saying that as the biological father he is required to pay for the children's upbringing.
- AFP
Now then, is the verdict legitimate in your opinion? I think the courts should have gone after the other lesbian for support, since that was the family unit. A sperm donor is not a father or mother, but rather a biological parent. Fathers and mothers are roles, indicative of a sustained familial obligation.
I think most U.S. states have laws on the books that prevent donors from being held liable for supportive duties unless a formal agreed contract exists spelling out that relationship. But it's interesting that Sweden decided to take the road that it did.