A man who mixed his sperm with his father’s to help get his partner pregnant will not be forced to take a paternity test, the high court has ruled.

The man, identified as PQ as he cannot be named for legal reasons, and his partner (JK) had experienced fertility problems and were not able to afford IVF treatment, the court heard at a hearing last month.

As a result he agreed to mix his sperm with his father’s (RS), which was then injected into the woman. The arrangement, which Justice Poole was informed had been “always intended” to be kept secret, led to the birth of a now five-year-old boy (D).

But once Barnsley council became aware of the circumstances of the boy’s conception as a result of separate proceeding, it launched a legal bid to determine his parentage.

However, in a judgment handed down on Thursday, Poole dismissed the bid, saying that he found the council had “no stake in the outcome”.

“A wish to uphold the public interest in maintaining accurate records of births does not confer a personal interest in the determination of such an application.”

Throughout the case, the judge said that the family had “created a welfare minefield”, adding: “I cannot believe that JK, PQ and RS properly thought through the ramifications of their scheme for JK to become pregnant, otherwise it is unlikely that they would have embarked upon it.”

“Without testing, his biological paternity remains uncertain but there is a strong chance, to say the least, that the person he thinks is his grandfather is his biological father, and that the person he thinks is his father is his biological half-brother.”

  • JakenVeina@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    “Without testing, his biological paternity remains uncertain but there is a strong chance, to say the least, that the person he thinks is his grandfather is his biological father, and that the person he thinks is his father is his biological half-brother.”

    Honestly, who the fuck cares? The kid seems to have loving parents and grandparents, why would eventually learning the mechanics of his conception make any difference?

    • JoBo@feddit.uk
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      9 months ago

      why would eventually learning the mechanics of his conception make any difference?

      It might save the council some money.

        • JoBo@feddit.uk
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          9 months ago

          Not explicitly stated but it’s likely that the family needs to claim housing or some other benefit and the council think they can wriggle out of it if they can prove grandad is the father.

          • Patch@feddit.uk
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            9 months ago

            In a world where adoption and step-parenthood exist, you’d think we’d be beyond the point of DNA being the be-all and end-all of parental responsibility and entitlement.

  • Squire1039@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    I’m left wondering about the conversation the man had with his dad trying to get the sperms.

    • ᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴏʀ 帝@feddit.ukOPM
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      “Dad, I think I am shooting blanks but me and the wife reckon that if we mix some of your sperm with mine then your guys will be able to carry mine across the finishing line.”

      “What’s the science behind that?”

      “What’s science?”

      “Yeah I don’t know either but it’s the kind of thing people say on the telly to sound all fancy. As luck would have it, there’s some in that mug over there that you can load into your turkey baster.”

    • survivalmachine@beehaw.org
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      9 months ago

      “Hey, pops, I know you’re worried that I’m the last of your blood line and I haven’t sired a son to carry on the name. Just in case it’s my fault we haven’t conceived, would you mind spunking in a cup and then we’ll mix ours up and squirt it up in the wife? We’ll never know the true father, but we can be assured it’ll be a continuation of your blood line.”

      I mean, some people, especially older ones, are really hung up about continuing their genetic lines.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    A man who mixed his sperm with his father’s to help get his partner pregnant will not be forced to take a paternity test, the high court has ruled.

    The man, identified as PQ as he cannot be named for legal reasons, and his partner (JK) had experienced fertility problems and were not able to afford IVF treatment, the court heard at a hearing last month.

    The arrangement, which Justice Poole was informed had been “always intended” to be kept secret, led to the birth of a now five-year-old boy (D).

    But once Barnsley council became aware of the circumstances of the boy’s conception as a result of separate proceeding, it launched a legal bid to determine his parentage.

    The authority called upon the high court in Sheffield to direct that DNA tests should be carried out to determine whether the man was D’s father.

    Poole said the man had an established father-and-son relationship with the child and it was up to him and the boy’s mother to “manage the latent risks to his welfare”.


    The original article contains 451 words, the summary contains 175 words. Saved 61%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!