Kansas Wants Sperm Donor to Pay Child Support: Is This Homophobia?

The state of Kansas wants sperm donor William Marotta to pay child support, even though he signed a contract with a couple to hold him harmless "for any child support payments demanded of him by any other person or entity, public or private, including any district attorney's office or other state or county agency, regardless of the circumstances or said demand." And the couple even agreed to leave the father's name off of the birth certificate. 

Kansas states the agreement was not valid because the couple didn't go through a doctor for the insemination. Marotta who met the couple through a Craigslist posting, met the couple to drop off his sperm and the couple went home and used a syringe.

Possibly the couple, already parents of eight adopted children wanted to save a little money. The national average cost for doctor assisted fertilization is $300-$700 per attempt. And it can take several attempts. 

In a day and age when do-it-yourself insemination kits as well as sperm can be ordered via the internet, the savings are obvious. If a couple wants a child and for whatever reason cannot have one, adoption or choosing to use a sperm donor are options. This couple had already gone the adoption route.  

But like painting a bedroom, if the couple chose a DIY method to save money, does the state have a right to interfere?

Does it make a difference if the couple is a same sex one?

Could it be that Kansas, which does not recognize same sex marriage, even as it accepts single parent LGBT adoption, has a little homophobia peeking through? 

Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner didn't plan on breaking up, but like many couples today, they did.

According to ABC-15.com, "when Bauer was diagnosed in March with what she calls "a significant illness" that prevents her from working, Schreiner sought health insurance for their daughter from the state. The DCF told Schreiner if she didn't provide the sperm donor's name, it would deny any health benefits because she was withholding information."

If this had been a heterosexual couple, would the DCF case manager's question have even come up?