Family Law & Fertility Law Blog | Louisa Ghevaert Associates

The Risks of Unregulated Sperm Donation: Serial Sperm Donor Joe Donor

The recent case of Re CA and Ors (Children of Unregulated Sperm Donor) [2025] EWFC 130 brings into focus the threats posed by unregulated sperm donation, specifically at the hand of serial sperm donor known as ‘Joe Donor’. In this case, Mr Justice Poole determines whether ‘Joe Donor’ – officially named Robert Albon – has any rights to a Declaration of Parentage, a Parental Responsibility Order and a Child Arrangements Order for two of the possible 180 children he has fathered. The case also brings to light the vulnerabilities of the two children’s mothers and raises concerns about exploitation and abuse that can accompany informal sperm donation, and what this means for the best interests of the children involved.

F v J & Others [2024] and the Pitfalls of Mismatched Expectations, Rushed Known Sperm Donation and Co-Parenting Arrangements

F v J & Others [2024[ EWHC 2802 (Fam) is a case which deals with the realities and challenges of co-parenting and highlights the complexities of known sperm donation - how it should be approached with great care and proactive management of the legal aspects which underpin these family building arrangements. Specifically, it raises issues of legal parentage in the context of known sperm donation and assisted reproduction, and what can happen when this process is rushed or hurried. Additionally, this case raises concerns around communication in co-parenting relationships, and stresses the importance of the stability of those relationships, both for the benefit of the parents, and for the wellbeing of the child.

National Surrogacy Week 2025

National Surrogacy Week takes place in the UK from 1 - 7 August 2025. Its aim is to raise awareness and understanding about surrogacy. It's also a time to highlight the positive impact of surrogacy, to support open, honest and positive communication and promote ethical practices and policies for professionals and families created through surrogacy. Similarly, it is a time to celebrate the medical advancements which enable parents to create their families through fertility treatment and surrogacy and reflect on just how far surrogacy in the UK has come since the landmark ‘Baby Cotton’ case in 1985. This rise in the popularity of surrogacy also reflects the recognition of surrogacy as a mainstream family building option for prospective parents, and the willingness of the surrogates themselves to help others have much wanted children.

World Breastfeeding Week 2025

Every year, more than one hundred and twenty countries worldwide come together to recognise World Breastfeeding Week, which this year runs from 1 - 7 August 2025. It seeks to foster an environment which uplifts and empowers women, parents and families and provides them with help and supportive environments along their parenting journey. World Breastfeeding Week is more than a celebration, it is also a time of education. Knowledge and awareness surrounding breastfeeding helps equip new parents with accurate information about nutrition, health and well-being so they can make informed decisions about their baby's development through early childhood. This information includes the understanding that breastfeeding, for all its benefits, isn’t always possible or necessary and that parents can also successfully bottle feed using formula. As such, World Breastfeeding Week is there to support everyone including those who, for reasons in or out of their control, are unable to breastfeed.

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