London, England, Dec 5, 2007 / 09:31 am
The Telegraph in London has published the testimony of Andy Bathie, a 37 year-old British firefighter who regrets becoming a sperm donor for a lesbian couple that wanted to have a child. The two women, who have since separated, are demanding that Bathie pay child support for their two children.
"These women wanted to be parents and take on all the responsibilities that brings. I would never have agreed to this unless they had been living as a committed family. And now I can't afford to have children with my own wife - it's crippling me financially," he said.
Sharon and Terri Arnold, who were united in a homosexual “marriage,” told Bathie he would have no future responsibility for raising the children. Bathie has seen the children only a few times during his life.
But after the women separated, Bathie was contacted by the Child Support Agency and forced to make regular child support payments.
He is now bringing a legal challenge to remove his responsibilities as a parent to the two children in a case believed to be the first of its kind.
Bathie was approached by the couple five years ago after they had unsuccessfully asked other male friends, but no formal legal arrangement was put in place.
"When they (Terri and Sharon) first approached me I did look into the legal side and understood that as a couple they would be the parents, not me. I was never 'Daddy'," he told the newspaper.