Two babies have made legal history by becoming the first British babies to be registered as having two fathers and no mother. Aspen Drewitt-Barlow and twin sister Saffron were born in California last Thursday to their gay parents, Barrie Drewitt and Tony Barlow. The Chelmsford couple who have been together for 11 years were condemned by some parts of the family lobby earlier this year when their story was first reported. The millionaire businessmen had reportedly spent £200,000 to bypass UK laws and become biological fathers using in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and a surrogate mother from California where there are fewer restrictions on gay men and lesbians seeking help to have children. But in a legal breakthrough decreed by a US Supreme Court judge, Barrie Drewitt and Tony Barlow will be registered as 'parent one' and 'parent two' on the babies' birth certificates with no mention of either the egg donor or the surrogate mother. However, there is still a legal battle ahead to allow the twins British citizenship when they go home to the UK early next year. Lawyers have advised the couple that as unmarried fathers, they have no automatic right to pass on their nationality to their son and daughter and the Lord Chancellor's Department has warned that the birth certificate issued in the US may not be recognised in the UK. A spokesman has said: 'This is breaking new ground and it will be largely up to the courts to determine the legal position of same-sex parents.' But before they can all return home, Barrie Drewitt and Tony Barlow must collect their children's legal documents and apply for US passports for the twins. The babies' first home is likely to be a set of designer baby clothes and pushchairs-filled hotel rooms where they will be looked after by the proud parents and two trained British nannies.
Sources and References
-
At last we have out babies...our family
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.