Reactions to the Family Court ruling which gave a child three parents – the lesbian couple he lives with and his biological father – have been mixed, with some same-sex parents wary and social conservatives up in arms. Tor Deverux and her partner Barb Long - heading to court soon for an order giving her joint guardianship of a child conceived with sperm donated from a friend – said the law needs to be flexible enough to allow for the different situations that can exist, as some couples do not want the donor to have ongoing access to the child. United Future leader Peter Dunne said the three-way guardianship split was "rather bizarre"; only the natural mother and father should have guardianship. Auckland family law barrister Usha Patel applauded the judgement, saying it made the rights of the child paramount. "Lesbian and gay couples need to be aware that this sort of dispute can happen. People need to think through the impact on the child . . . The child is entitled to contact with all his or her parents."