PollenTree

Co-parenting and legal rights

Co-parenting is an arrangement entered into by people who are not married or in a relationship but where they agree to conceive and raise a child together. It has become a popular way for lesbian and gay couples to parent together but is also a way for single people, particularly friends, to achieve their dreams of becoming a parent.


Legal rights and co-parenting
The legal position will vary from country to country. In most countries that recognise artificial insemination as a form of fertility treatment the donor will have no legal rights or responsibilities to the child if the donation is done through a licensed clinic.

However, in countries where artificial insemination is unregulated the donor is likely to remain the legal father of the child.

You should therefore check the fertility laws in your country.

In the UK, if the child is conceived using donated sperm, the legal position will vary depending not only on whether artificial insemination took place in a licensed clinic but also the status of the parties entering into the co-parenting arrangement.