State trying to make sperm donor pay child support

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A Kansas man who answered an online ad to donate sperm to a lesbian couple is fighting the state's efforts to force him to pay child support for the girl subsequently conceived through artificial insemination.

Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Angela de Rocha said Wednesday that the agency would not be pursuing payment if the state hadn't provided more than $6,000 in benefits for the child after the Topeka couple split. She says the state tries to establish a child's paternity when benefits are involved.

Court records show that the sperm donor, 46-year-old William Marotta, signed an agreement in March 2009 giving up parental rights to the then-couple, Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner. The agreement also absolves Marotta of financial responsibility. The state contends the agreement isn't valid.