A UK man who mixed his sperm with his father's so that he could have a child with his partner is not being forced to take a paternity test, a UK judge has decided. The family is being allowed to make that information known on their own schedule.
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The couple had run out of options
The couple, known as PQ and JK for legal reasons, were having trouble conceiving, and the costs of IVF were too high for them. So PQ decided to combine his sperm with his father's sperm, which resulted in the birth of a baby, who is now 5 years old.
The act was never supposed to be found out
According to those involved, the act was "always intended" to be a secret. But thanks to a separate legal proceeding, the paternity of the young child, a boy, was questioned and the court tried to make a legal case for finding out his true father.
A judge decided the paternity wasn't a necessary detail
Despite the ask, a judgment came down this week that dismissed the bid to find out the child's biological father. The judge ruled that finding out about the paternity had "no stake in the outcome" of the case. "It may wish to know who is D’s biological father, but it has no stake in the outcome of its application," the judge said.
It is now up to the family to decide when to have the child tested or tell the truth
The judge said that the boy "is a unique child who would not exist but for the unusual arrangements made for his conception, but those arrangements have also created the potential for him to suffer emotional harm were he to learn of them."
He also believes "that is a matter for them" about whether they want to undergo a paternity test in the future. He added that it is up to the parents to "manage the latent risks to his welfare."
