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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Dad has rights after turkey-baster pregnancy

The Virginia Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the child's biological father is more than a sperm donor and is entitled to be a part of his son's life.

The case hinged on an informal agreement between two longtime friends: a woman who wanted to get pregnant and a man willing to supply the sperm to make it happen. According to court filings, Joyce Rosemary Bruce impregnated herself with a turkey baster, believing that Robert Preston Boardwine would not have any parental rights — including a say in the boy's education and other decisions — because they did not have intercourse.

The appeals court said she was wrong.

"The path to fatherhood may have been unconventional," the court said, but it doesn't remove Boardwine's parental rights.



Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.