Rebuffed in court

Parish wanted paternity test after sperm mix

(Bild: RHJ/stock.adobe.com)

A man who mixed his sperm with that of his father to conceive his child should not be forced to take a paternity test, according to a court ruling in the UK. This was decided by the High Court on Thursday, according to the British news agency PA.

The man had fertility problems and could not afford artificial insemination. Together with his partner, he had decided to inject her with a mixture of his sperm and his father's semen.

Family can decide on test themselves
A local authority had learned of the circumstances and wanted to enforce a paternity test. The court rejected the request: The family would have to decide for themselves whether to take a test and tell the child about the result later.

The judge explained that the five-year-old boy could "suffer emotional harm" if he found out how he was conceived, as reported by Sky News. "The desire to protect the public interest in the maintenance of accurate birth records does not give rise to a personal interest in the determination of such an application," he continued.

 However, he also recognized a dilemma: "Without testing, his biological paternity remains uncertain, but there is a strong chance, to say the least, that the person he believes to be his grandfather is his biological father and that the person he believes to be his father is his biological half-brother."