Jan 09, 2007Articles: Swedish court rejects lesbian co-parenting
By vanrozenheim
(Stockholm, Sweden) - Ruling in two cases involving lesbian couples, a Swedish judge has ruled that the nonbiological mothers cannot adopt their partners children. In each case the birth mother had been artificially inseminated. And in each case the birth mothers partners had been approved for adoption by social services authorities.
In separate rulings Judge Mats Orstadius rejected the applications saying that the lesbian couples were trying to circumvent Sweden's law allowing children to identify biological parents.
"It is not acceptable to use the institution of adoption to in this way circumvent such a basic right of the child. The benefits that the child might gain from the adoption still do not warrant its approval," Orstadius wrote in both rulings. In both cases the couples are registered under Sweden's civil partner law.
The women called the ruling "incredulous" since the fathers were unknown sperm donors.
"There is no father, only a donor. That's why I'm trying to adopt," said one of the women.
Both couples said they will appeal the ruling. In previous cases judges have approved adoptions of partners' children.
