Parenting laws must be clear, says Fertility NZ

Any changes to parenting laws should ensure the roles of sperm or egg donors are crystal clear before children are conceived, Fertility New Zealand executive director Sue Domanski says.

"All parties have got to know where they stand in respect of parental rights," Ms Domanski said.

A new Law Commission report, New Issues in Legal Parenthood, was tabled in Parliament yesterday. It contains proposals to clarify the legal role of a parent and would also see some sperm or egg donors able to become legal parents.

Egg and sperm donors should be able to "opt in" to legal parenthood if it is agreed with the other two parents.

Contact and roles would be defined by a pre-birth agreement and third parents would become liable to the same child support provisions as other parents.

"There shouldn't be any confusion between a donor and a parent. There should be a mechanism to extinguish the genetic parenthood of the donor in law, on the basis donors don't enter into the donor arrangement in order to parent," said Ms Domanski.

There were a minority of cases -- often same-sex relationships -- where there was a desire for the donor to be involved in parenting.

"We support there be a legal mechanism for that to occur, but the thing we do urge is any agreement must be made prior to the donation of the gamete," she said.

"We don't believe it would be very satisfactory if that opt-in option could happen after the donation -- agreements must be made prior because all parties have got to know where they stand in respect of parental rights."

New Zealand First family affairs spokeswoman Barbara Stewart was concerned the recommendations would undermine parenthood and the traditional concept of family.

She disapproved of the "opt in" proposal which give a child three parents.

"New Zealanders should be asking just where the politically correct madness and experimentation with our children's future is going to stop," Mrs Stewart said in a statement.

"It is worrying to see the Law Commission pushing for such PC changes to the legal definition of families when there is no equal commitment to ensuring that traditional family values are not lost."

Minister in charge of the Law Commission, Marian Hobbs, said yesterday the proposals focused on the importance of children having clear rules about who were their parents and who had legal responsibility for them.

Because the report proposed changes to several acts, several ministries would be involved in preparing the Government's response, she said.

The report was undertaken after a request from the minister in 2003. The Government will respond in six months.

The Law Commission is an independent government-funded body that provides advice to the Government on legal changes.

- NZPA