Advances in medical science have introduced a number of complex
legal questions about the parental rights of a sperm donor.
Does a man who donates his sperm to fertilise a woman's egg
have any rights as a father of the child? Is a mother who undergoes
artificial insemination automatically granted sole custody of a
fertilised egg and resulting child?
The High Court recently had to rule on this vexed question,
weighing up how the law applies to a sperm donor who wants to be
considered the legal father of the child.
Was he an invested parent or merely a sperm donor?
The sperm donor in question had agreed in 2006 to have a child
with a female friend through artificial insemination. He is named
as the father on the child's birth certificate. As a parent, he
is actively involved in her life. He also provides ongoing
financial support to his daughter, who calls him
"daddy".
