Father to lesbian’s child loses access

A GAY friend of a lesbian couple who donated his sperm, resulting in the birth of a boy, has lost his landmark High Court bid for guardianship of the child, now aged almost two, and has also been refused access.

In rejecting the man’s case yesterday, Mr Justice John Hedigan said the welfare of the child was best served by remaining with the lesbian couple and by the man having no guardianship or access.

There was nothing in Irish law to suggest a family of two women and a child “has any lesser right to be recognised as a de facto family than a family composed of a man and woman unmarried to each other and a child”, he stressed.