A New South Wales sperm donor has become embattled in a legal dispute with the former lesbian partner of the woman who bore his child. Sydney woman Sofia Marita is fighting to have father Neil Richards' name removed from the birth certificate, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Richards donated sperm more than ten years ago to Marita's then-partner Jesse Star, as well as reportedly paying AU$5,000 for fertility treatments to help her conceive. Richards said he has now spent AU$50,000 in legal fees to prevent Ms Marita taking his name off the certificate. ''It's a very depressing situation … the birth certificate is more than a bit of paper; it tells people who you are,'' he said. ''No one seems to care about fathers these days.'' The legal battle is the first of its type since the introduction of a 2008 law giving lesbian couples equal parental responsibilities.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 25th May 2011 - 10:23am