Sperm Donor Loses Fight to Remain on Birth Certificate

A judge in Sydney, Australia, ruled that the man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple must be removed from the couple's daughter's birth certificate.

The court ruled that the former partner of the biological mother should be named as the second parent, even though the couple split up in 2006, the BBC reported Wednesday. The 58-year-old man in the case, who was not identified, said he was devastated by the ruling.

The mother's partner said she wanted her name on the birth certificate to "avoid confusion with schools, hospitals, and government departments." Both women still share parenting duties for the girl, who was born in 2001.

According to the report, this may be the first case in which a sperm donor's name was forcibly removed from a birth certificate. The judge said the donor had no parental rights under national law, especially because there was no written agreement between the lesbian couple and the donor.