No matter the reason, Pennsylvania child custody battles can often be delicate and emotionally draining. A father is being forced to fight a devastating battle after losing his girlfriend to suicide. Child welfare authorities stepped in after the woman’s death and took the child, claiming they did so because the man was not the child’s biological father. What resulted is a heart-wrenching child custody battle and a plea from a grieving father.
The couple never married but tried to conceive a child together. When that was unsuccessful, they turned to the in-vitro process and used sperm donated from an anonymous source. A baby boy was born, and the couple lived together as a family for more than two years. The father presented evidence to the court in the form of a letter signed by the girlfriend, presenting him as the child’s guardian.
Even though the child is not biologically his, the New Jersey couple raised the child as their own. His battle appears to ever so slowly be inching towards success because a judge ruled the man would be required to submit to home visits before custody could be given to him. The father has told the court his losses have been almost unbearable, speaking of both the loss of his girlfriend and son.
Pennsylvania parents currently fighting a child custody battle understand how difficult the process can be. Many choose to seek legal assistance in their cases, something that can give them leverage within the courts. Knowing one’s legal rights and having a knowledgeable party on one’s side can ensure parents are given the rights they are entitled to under state law.
Source: New York Post, “Exec in child-custody fight after girlfriend’s suicide – because anonymous sperm donor is the ‘biological father’,” Julia Marsh, Jan. 18, 2013