Paul, I'd like to address the following and to suggest that legalizing marriage between two men or two women would in fact eliminate the problem
You wrote: " In a recent TV news report a gay male couple had children with the consent of a woman who agreed to give birth. The other male partner now wished to have a child by the same woman and she has agreed. While she will be the mother of all the children they will have different fathers. If one of the fathers dies who gets custody? Who has the financial obligation to raise the children including but not limited to their healthcare? Will the employer of any one of the three be on the hook for healthcare?"
If the two men in question were married, this could, would and should easily be handled as with any surrogate parent situation. A couple (man/woman, man/man or even woman/woman if for some reason neither can bear a child) contracts with a woman to bear a child for them, using sperm and/or egg (depending on situation and availability) and the woman conceives and bears the child, turning the child over to the couple after the birth. A similar situation would exist if the couple were in need of sperm instead of eggs/womb. The non-genetically related partner can then adopt the child, making the child legally the child of both parents, regardless of DNA or gender. As with any adopted child or biological child, health care benefits can be easily extended to the child (and, I might mention, to the partner) as part of an employee benefit package. Custody rights, rights of inheritance, etc. would follow whatever family law standards and laws were in place for heterosexual couples. Divorce laws and settlements need be no different than for heterosexual couples. I don't see how or why gay couples who wish to form a family and who wish to be parents need to be treated differently than heterosexual couples.
_________________________________________________________________
Create your own personal Web page with the info you use most, at My MSN. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200364ave/direct/01/
_______________________________________________
This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy
All messages must be signed by the senders actual name.
No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list.
To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit
http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona
Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at
http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
