Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner.
So it turns out responding to an ad on Craigslist to donate sperm for a lesbian couple’s baby isn’t always the best idea. At least not in Kansas.
One man’s generosity with his little swimmers could put him in the poor house after the state recently demanded he pay child support for the now-3-year-old child he agreed to sire, reports the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Here’s what happened.
In 2009, Kansas lesbian couple Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner decided they wanted to have a baby. They also have seven adopted kids.
They needed sperm. Their doctor wouldn’t sign a release saying they were fit to raise a child, making things tough at the sperm bank. So they put an ad on Craiglist, and local mechanic William Marotta responded. The couple and the donor checked each other out, he signed something saying he relinquished all parental rights — including the right to have to pay for anything — he donated the sperm, they did a home insemination (a detail that turns out to be major), it worked, Schreiner had the baby (a daughter), and everyone was happy.
Schreiner was the stay-at-home mom and Bauer was the breadwinner mom.
Schreiner and Bauer broke up in 2010 but cared jointly for their kids, who now number eight. Then, this year, Bauer got really sick and couldn’t work. Schreiner needed health insurance for the baby, so she went to the state.
Here’s where it got complicated. No, it wasn’t complicated before.
Because Kansas does not recognize same-sex unions, just one of the parents — Schreiner — is listed on the birth certificate. The state demanded the father’s name from Schreiner. She divulged her donor.
Meanwhile, because the couple opted for a home insemination instead of one performed by a licensed doctor, this renders null and void the contract that specified the donor had no financial responsibility for the child — at least in the eyes of the state of Kansas.
End result: The state is suing Marotta for child support.
The child’s moms say they are not interested in squeezing the donor for cash and vow to stand with him in his fight against the state.
There’s been no public statement from the donor — or his wife. Marotta will be in court January 8 to seek dismissal of the case.