A UK man has won a landmark ruling to be recognised as the father of his ex-partner's baby - conceived through IVF - even though he shares no biological link with the child. The man and his partner started fertility treatment using donated sperm, but split up before she conceived a baby girl. However, Liverpool High Court judge Mark Hedley ruled that the man is entitled to contact with his daughter, and should be regarded in law as her father.
The man had been left sterile following treatment for testicular cancer, so the couple applied to begin fertility treatment in 1996. The first round of IVF treatment in 1998 was unsuccessful, but by the time of the second, successful cycle in 1999, the woman had a new partner.
Judge Hedley ruled that under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 1990, the woman's original partner was to be treated as the father, adding that if he maintained his contact for the next couple of years then he could see no basis for not granting parental responsibility. He said that the man 'might well have an important role in helping the child come to terms with her origins'.
Meanwhile, an IVF clinic in Japan has caused controversy following revelations that it fertilised some women's eggs with sperm from their fathers-in-law. Japanese guidelines state that sperm donors should remain anonymous, but opponents say that childless Japanese couples have traditionally adopted close relatives. Atsushi Tanaka, director of the Saint Mother clinic in Kitakyushu, said that in Japan, people respect blood lines and want to take care of them. Since 1997, nine couples have accepted his recommendation to use sperm from the husband's father, reports last week's New Scientist.
Sources and References
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'Unethical' IVF causes storm in Japan
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Man's IVF victory
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