Lesbians in donor dad row
Sperm donor Andy Bathie, 37, agreed to assist Sharon and Terri Arnold with having children.
A SPERM donor who helped a lesbian pal and her lover have babies is being forced to pay child maintenance.
Fireman Andy Bathie, 37, claims that it was agreed his role would end once he gave sperm.
Civil partners Terri and Sharon Arnold left his name off the two tots’ birth certificates.
But when the couple split the Child Support Agency tracked down Andy to demand £425 a month for the girl, four, and boy, two.
Now newly-married Andy, from Enfield, North London, has launched a landmark legal challenge so he is not recognised as a legal parent. He said: “It’s crippling me financially. These women wanted to be parents and take on all the responsibilities.
“Now I can’t afford to have children with my own wife.”
But Terri — who impregnated herself with Andy’s sperm at home — last night insisted he SHOULD be paying maintenance because he kept regular contact with the girl and bought her presents.
The 25-year-old, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, said: “He saw her roughly once a month, picking her up on Saturday and dropping her back on the Sunday. He was uncle Andy then it became daddy. He wanted the responsibility to be the father.”
She claimed Andy suddenly stopped seeing the kids, and added: "You can’t play at being a dad for two years and then just leave.”
But Ms Arnold today admitted the initial arrangement was for him just to be a donor.
She said: "I will openly admit to that, but it was him that changed his mind. He wanted to be involved, he wanted to be a dad. Who was I to stop him?
"At the end of the day, I believed it would be beneficial for my children to have their father involved. He wanted that responsibility."
But Andy hit back, saying he was asked to “babysit” the children, including two others from Sharon’s first marriage. He said: “Terri wants to live off benefits while I work.”
Ms Arnold said today: "At the end of the day, he walked away. He knew full well. It is not like the CSA contacted him out of the blue.
"My son was diagnosed with a disability after he was born. He was still seeing my daughter on a regular basis. I couldn't return to work because of my son being in hospital so much.
"I was then informed by the CSA that if I did not give the father's details then my income support would be cut down, and I wouldn't be able to afford to live."
The CSA said that both the biological parents “remain financially responsible” unless a child is legally adopted.
But anonymous sperm donors at licensed centres are exempt.