Babies don't need fathers

[AB Asks]

A shake-up in the law yesterday meant that NHS fertility clinics no longer have to consider the baby's need for a father. It means a gay woman will have as much right as a woman in a heterosexual relationship to request fertility treatment. What do you think about this?

[confused79]

Thats a hard one, but i guess it will start off lots of different opinions, personally i believe a child does need a father, i was brought up without one and it does effect me still now being a parent myself.
On the other hand i think gay couples should have some rights as times have changed but as we all now it takes a man and woman to have a baby. I thought that if men were doners now that they had to give there details so if later in life the child wanted to find its "biological father" they could whereas in past men were allowed to keep their identities secret. So thats another part of it that i think would effect this issue, as you would still need both sexes to create the baby anyway.
Dont know if in talking twaddle but thats my view.

[Pippa68]

Most of us would love the ideal ~ mum & dad, happy family. However if stories are to be believed, we currently have many single parents (mainly mums, but dads too in some cases) due to several reasons:

Alienation by one parent
Divorce
Girls getting pregnant and not seeing the significance of the father

etc, etc...

My way of thinking is that if someome is prepared to go and have the long painful process of IVF then they are prepared for parenthood. Gay or straight, a loving home has got to be good..surely?

[Skreecheeboy]

I don't think it's a question of equality. It's about people being selfish and abusing science to their own ends. It's hard enough growing up without also being a test tube baby with gay parents. It'll all end in suicide.

[Bohne]

I am happy for all gay woman who want to have a baby!
And for all babys who by this decision get loving parents (so what if they are two women?).

[Bohne]

By the way, I grew up with a father, but as a child I saw so little of him that I am not sure, if it would have made a difference if he had not been there!

[jjaammeess]

Without even thinking about it--it angers disgusts--all the repulsive emotions I can think of. I realize this is an emotional response but it comes from deep within my being.All the evidence that I see in my long life is that interference with the conceiving of a baby based on a loving relationship between a man and a woman leads to disaster.After all it has taken millions of years to evolve.What cheek for a gay to change this.

[Joe_the_Lion]

Wrong wrong wrong wrong. As you may know, I hold strong opinions about most things and some may consider some are prejudice. However, I hold no ill feeling to gays and lezzas.

The reason for my liberal attitude is I believe they are simply born that way. The "gay gene" therefore exists. Therefore, I consider it unnatural for them to want children. This desire actually unties the good gay rights have achieved over the years.

It is the same as saying a midget wants to be a harlem Globe Trotter. He may have this desire, but due to his genetic make-up, it is a no-no. Simple as that.

Further, it has to be said kids are horrible to eachother. All you have to do is wear the wrong make of trainers or have a mobile phone 2 months out of date and you are branded a gypo etc.

And as not everybody is as nice as me, if somebody had two mums or two dads, they will be ridiculed for years.

It is not right, it is not natural and I for one will withdraw my stocks portfolio for Kenwood Turkey Basters.

[Reverandfunk]

Don't think we should have fertility treatment full stop. If you can't have kids it's for a reason.

[Skreecheeboy]

As I've said I am in agreement with Joe on this but I would like to mention that I know some children of gay people and they are well adjusted adults now but they do have both sexes of parent and I feel that the outcome would be very different had they not had that. My point is not that gays havent' got the capacity to provide a loving family unit, it is that the child needs the influence of men and women in their lives.

[confused79]

It also poses many questions, what if later on the couple seperate (lets face it at todays rate high chance most will) who would get rights over the child, even more so which one would carry the baby? it can go on and on. And the poor innocent one in middle of it all it the baby?
Im not saying im against it but what about the birth circificate? the questions are endless!

[confused79]

Another thing would they get the fatility treatment as they simple cannot fall pregnant but because they obsiviously are lesibian and dont have hetrosexual sex so in otherwords they may be able to fall pregnant easily if they wasn't gay, guess what im trying to say do they get same rights as somone who is in a straight relationship and cannot fall pregnant as of fertility problems, because then i would think that is wrong to be put on same level as them. as they may have been trying for years. And then along comes lady who is lesbian and she gets the treatment and falls straight away that does seem unfair!!!!

[ALLO5775]

i think it's bad. the poor kids will be so fu**ed up in the head. a child should have 2 parents. one male one female. thats whats so wrong with the world today. go back to the begining. adam and eve. not adam and adam, or eve and eve!!!!!! and who suffers........ the kids! i strongly feel against gay relationships. it's a sin.

[bensmum]

I don't think that anyone has a "right" to have a child. It seems that people are very keen on their rights nowadays but not so keen on responsibilities. It must be difficult to live with infertility for couples trying desperately for a child but on balance I would have to say that a child should ideally have a mother and a father and if someone's lifestyle does not support that balance then they should carefully consider their motives.