A lesbian couple faced court in France this week after their sperm donor sought parental rights of their child.
The donor, a friend of the couple, had initially agreed to donate sperm and waive his parental rights to the child. The lesbian couple had exclusive custody of their two-year-old offspring until this week when a French court ruled in favour of the donor.
The judge’s decision means the father will be granted visitation rights, before eventually moving to a shared custody agreement where the child will spend every other weekend with the father.
The lawyer for the child’s biological mother, said her clients were upset by the ruling.
“A man did my client and her partner a favour. However he then changed his mind and wanted to take on the role of father. But the initial parental project was between two women,” the lawyer said.
The father’s lawyer said his client’s desire to have his parental rights recognised was nothing out of the ordinary.
“The demand to have his rights recognized is completely normal, the only distinction we have a homosexual couple who refused to acknowledge the presence of the father,” the lawyer said.