Sperm Donation, Single Women and Filiation

by Elena Ignovska

Although recent family law debates have been predominantly paedo-centric, the founding of "bio-medically assisted families" still focuses on the individual parents' rights to reproduce. By introducing donations, the donor's genetic contribution becomes instrumental, and the legal attribution of parenthood is negotiated through expressed intentions. The absence of a genetic, social, and/or legal father can only occur in single women's conceptions by choice, hence calling into question the role of the societal father. This neglects the future child's voice in private and family life issues on at least two the informational level (lacking information about origins, often related to personal identity) and the legal/functional level (care provided by both parents). Furthermore, it emphasizes the inconsistency in the treatment of "naturally" and "artificially" conceived children, since the latter have restricted access to parental judicial proceedings. The conflicts between individua

384 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2015