Thursday, June 7, 2007

The Age - "The Gay Couple"


SARAH Marlowe gave birth to twins Callum and Rafi almost a year ago. Being clinically infertile, she was legally able to use IVF in Victoria.

Now her partner Felicity wants to have a baby. But the "problem" is that Felicity does not have a fertility problem,

which means she cannot legally access these services in this state.

Instead of going to the expense of travelling to a more permissive state, Felicity intends to use the sperm of a known donor and inseminate herself at home.

It's not ideal, and she would prefer to be inseminated by a doctor at a clinic. The couple see a clinic as her best chance of getting pregnant, but legally she can't do that unless the Government adopts the Victorian Law Reform Commission's recommendations.

The pair say a bigger problem is the lack of legal recognition for Felicity as the twins' legal parent. Under current laws only the biological mother can be on the birth certificate.

They welcomed yesterday's recommendations giving both parents legal recognition. Felicity, speaking on behalf of the Rainbow Families Council, said the report reflected the reality

of diverse families. "At the moment it's still in the climate of uncertainty and we'd love there to be some legal certainty as soon as possible."

[Link: Original Article]

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