A judge has decided a Kansas sperm donor who helped a lesbian couple conceive a child is legally the father of that baby and must pay child support.
According to KSNT, William Marotta argued in court that he signed documents that waived his parental rights. But WTSP reports the judge ruled the way he donated his sperm failed to conform to Kansas law.
"Almost five years ago William Marotta responded to a Craigslist ad for a lesbian couple seeking a sperm donor. The state claims the contract he signed is null and void because a doctor was not involved in the sperm donation." (Via WTSP)
CNN notes the documents Marotta signed in 2009 show the lesbian couple performed the artificial insemination process at home after he responded to their ad and gave them three cupfuls of his sperm.
One of the women gave birth to a baby girl later that year. But everything changed when the couple separated.
WIBW reports one of the women stopped working due to an illness and applied for help from the state. The state then contacted Marotta for child support.
Marotta claimed he wasn't financially responsible for the now 4-year-old child, but the state disagreed and sued him for the nearly $6,000 in public assistance it provided for the lesbian couple.
The Kansas City Star points out Marotta's case should serve as a cautionary tale. "A proper gut reaction is to feel sorry for the guy. Yes, life is unfair. But it's also not unfair."
Marotta says he still has no intention of assuming a parental role when it comes to the little girl he fathered. His attorney says he plans to appeal the decision.
