Family law experts across Washington are watching a case out of Kansas, in which a man, who donated sperm to a lesbian couple for the purposes of artificial insemination, is being held liable for child support by the state. William Marotta now finds himself fighting a court order that orders him to pay as much as $6,000 in past child support as well as future child support.
In 2009, Marotta answered a Craigslist Ad for a sperm donor by a lesbian couple. He approached the couple, donated his sperm, and signed an agreement, which clearly absolved him of all financial responsibilities for the child and relieved him of any parental rights, duties or responsibilities. The child born out of that artificial insemination is 3 years old today.
The lesbian couple went on to separate and fell into dire financial straits. One of them was forced to apply for Medicaid assistance for the 3-year-old girl, and it was then that Kansas agencies stepped in to claim that they would provide assistance for the girl, as long as the couple was willing to cough up the name of the biological father. The state is now pursuing Marotta to recover as much as $6,000 in past child support, as well as future payments.
The problem seems to have been that the artificial insemination was not conducted in a legal manner. Marotta answered a Craigslist ad, delivered a sperm sample, and the couple seems to have used the sperm sample through an artificial information kit. There was no doctor or clinic involved in the proceedings. Under Kansas law, artificial insemination must be done under the supervision of a doctor or clinic licensed by the state.
