UK: Father in IVF case seeks fuller role in life of son now living with mother and lesbian partner

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Court of Appeal last week heard an appeal concerning the contact arrangements for a son conceived by IVF treatment. The child lives with his mother and her lesbian partner. The father, who had been married to the mother in a 'marriage of convenience', is seeking staying contact and holiday contact with the boy, now two years old.

The mother claims that prior to conception the father had agreed that the mother and her partner would be primary parents of the child. It was agreed, she says, that the father would not seek to enforce his 'paternal rights'. The father claims that he was more than a mere sperm donor and wishes to play a fuller role in the boy's life.

Alex Verdan QC of 4 Paper Buildings, for the father, urged the court not to allow the father's relationship with his son to 'wither on the vine' at the current level of contact. Charles Howard QC of 1 king's Bench Walk, for the mother, warned that emotional damage could be caused by 'shuttling' the son between two homes and that such an arrangement had never been agreed.

The Court of Appeal, comprising Lord Justice Thorpe, Lady Justice Black and Sir John Chadwick, has reserved its judgment.'