By Kevin Murphy. William Marotta, 46, donated sperm to Jennifer Schreiner and Angela Bauer under a written agreement that he would not be considered the father of the child nor liable for child support. A daughter, now 3, was born to Schreiner. But in October, the state of Kansas filed a petition in county court seeking to have Marotta declared the father of the child and financially responsible for her. The case has repercussions for other sperm donation cases, lawyers for Marotta said. Sperm banks routinely provide sperm to people who want to conceive a child on the understanding that the donors are not responsible for the children.
Should Sperm Donors Be Required To Pay Child Support?
Should Sperm Donors Be Required To Pay Child Support? | KCUR - NPR in Kansas City
More Videos Court: Sperm donor to pay child support Story highlights William Marotta answered a Craigslist ad from a lesbian couple seeking donated sperm The couple say they performed artificial insemination at home, court documents show Marotta says he signed an agreement to waive his parental rights But a Kansas agency says the agreement isn't valid because a doctor wasn't involved. A Kansas sperm donor caught in the middle of a child support case says he wanted to help a lesbian couple when he made the donation nearly five years ago.
Kansas Sperm Donor Ordered to Pay Child Support
The two women raising the 3-year-old girl say they support the man, who responded to an ad they posted on the Craigslist website in , the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. The issue of child support arose when the two women broke up, and the couple applied for state services. When the two women split in , they had eight children, including some they adopted, whom they now co-parent. Marotta, a year-old mechanic, was dragged into the dispute when the couple filed for state assistance. The women reluctantly complied, the Capital-Journal reported.
William Marotta responsible for payments because lesbians didn't use a doctor. Marotta, a year-old machinist from Topeka, said he had a written contract with the two women, and should not have to pay. He is appealing the ruling, which legal experts say is a first. The state, on behalf of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, filed a lawsuit May 24, , that asked for summary judgment against Marotta because the couple had not complied with a state law that required sperm donation be done under the supervision of a doctor.