I badly know English and consequently write by means of the electronic translator. I live not in Moscow. But as against you I read world press instead of as to you that will feed - that and eat. It about democracy. I am surprised yours, to put it mildly, narrow-mindedness, and it is easier than dullness. For the beginning esteem our press, can will start to see further own nose. Putin - for me the usual guy, instead of the hero, at us such is a lot of. And you overlook 1945 who has won and that there is with those who on us does not respect. More shortly, I do not want to speak that if THAT... We shall bury all of you:), be sure, together with your owners - USA;). And we respect a true friendship. To develop it is necessary!!! Instead of porridge in a brain to hammer:).

Ramil, Nojabrsk, Russia

Yes, well, men may be inclined to do so when they have nil rights concerning parentage. If a man wants a woman to keep a child and she doesn't; fine, she gets an abortion. However, if a man wants out but the woman decides differently then he gets financially and emotionally tied down for 18 years. Boo-hoo, yes, but can't you see how the frequency with which this situation arises is not implausible? Mmm...as for gays relationships not lasting as long...I've found most gay people I've encountered are more flippant in discarding of a partner they were supposedly serious with; but they see through the same number of partners any heterosexual does.

Conclusion: the donor should have zero responsibility, but recipients should assessed in a more stringent anner. No problemo, ok?

Euan McArthur, ulverston, united kingdom

It appears that every belief and religion is protected except Christianity. If the Jerry Springer opera had treated Buddha or Mohammed that way, all sorts of people would be up in arms. The world should be grateful that Christ didn't command his followers to kill all who blaspheme his name and teachings.

Bruce Atchison, Radway, Canada

Um, no. The CSA is trying to turn gamete donation into fatherhood.

David McGregor, Fitzroy, Australia

This is more or less the same article that McDonagh wrote in August. Doesn't she have anything else to say? Does the Times not have editors to keep comment material fresh?

John Allen, Oxford, UK

'The reality is that most last less long that normal marriages'.

Where has that 'fact' come from? Tell me, what IS the divorce rate these days? How long exactly did Britney Spears' combined 2 marriages last? Have you done any research are are you just spouting ill-informed opinions under the woolly label 'common sense' again?

The strength and longevity of a relationship has very little to do with the gender of the partners. Similarly, people can make either good or bad parents, and should be judged on this. Their sexual orientation is incidental.

Sophie Bane, Liverpool,

Fathers are not necessary when women don't want them there, but are when women think they are [recent IVF law discussions]. When men sign contracts, real or implied, they are held to them. Women can sign pre-nups, happy in the knowledge that they only really apply to men [divorce rulings ad nauseam]. Women can accept sperm donations, and then not be held accountable for the consequences, because they are gay, and so only to be treated equally when they want to be. Men are responsible for decisions to have sex drunk, women get to change their mind when they have sobered up and cry rape.

Equality is equality? Some are more equal than others.

Nick, Rotherham, UK

IF there is legislation declaring that homosexual couples have the same "right" for parenthood as heterosexual ones it follows logically that they must also bear the same obligations. I therefore fail to see the point of the last sentence in the article, which argues that to secure the anonymity of sperm donors is akin to helping "fathers" to evade their responsbibilities. I fail to see why Mr. Bathie - who was only trying to help his "liberal minded" friend - is now pounced upon by the CSA or accused of failing his "responsibilities". He just provided a "service" to help his "friend" realise a dream, that they both considered as the logical consequence of "liberal views on partnership". I also consider it an outrage that whoever legislation allowing homosexual couples to "act as mummy and daddie" did not foresee the full consequences. The real villain of THIS piece of course is "Terri", who is stealing out of the responsibility of "parenthood" which she once gladly accepted.

Adrian, London, UK

According to later reports, Mr Bathie had arranged to be "Uncle Andy" but changed his mind after the birth of his first child (the daughter). The mother has cards and presents signed from "daddy" and even looked after her for a weekend every month, referring to himself as her "daddy" too.

He even agreed to be a donor for the second child (the son) but shortly after the boy was born and diagnosed with a digestive disorder, Mr Bathie decided that he didn't want anything more to do with the boy and continued seeing the girl (presumably because she needed less looking after?) until that finally stopped too.

Now he's trying to wipe all of that responsibility from his past but children don't forget that easily. The only two people that have been both innocent and unfairly treated in this matter are the two children. Blaming the situation on a "unstable" lesbian relationship just smacks of callousness.

marklezf, Southend-on-Sea,

It's clearly bad law. Aside from the wisdom of letting same sex couples have children, which they demand as a right of equal opportunities, it must be then that all the same burdens apply.

If the couple married and had babies, then just as if it were a man that left the home, the woman who left has an obligation to support the children she encouraged into this world.

That, and not whether men should be held responsible as sperm donors, is the only point worth discussing.

If gay people want equal rights it should be equal on everything, not cherry picking what suits this PC world, where as usual men are left to always pick up the bill where families are concerned, no matter how bad the female behaved.

Stephen Rothbart, Prague, Czech Republic

This is utter nonsense, unworthy of the Times. Take this statement:

"Gay relationships can, of course, be solid and lasting, but the reality is that most last less long than normal marriages"

Where is the evidence? Since gay relationships have only existed with a legal commitment equivalent (almost) to marriage since late 2005, I don't see how a proper comparison can be possible. The phrase "play mummies and daddies" has a nasty, patronising ring, so to respond in kind: Ms McDonagh comes over like a loud, uneducated oik playing at being a columnist.

Dominic, Warwickshire,

I don't understand why the lesbian relationship is considered to be the problem here. It seems to me that the problem is the law that allows one of the lesbian partners to avoid her obligation to support the child she made the choice to have with her partner. Who pays support should be based on who acted as parent to the child, not whose biology made the child. All the father did was provide a donation of sperm to help the couple have the baby. His responsibility should end there. It is the lesbian couple who made the decision to have the child, and then raised that child together. They should be the ones who are legally responsible for supporting that child when their relationship end.

Shannon , Thunder Bay, Canada

What a genuinely sad state of affairs. The situation depicted in this article is really quite perverse. We in the west need to shake ourselves up and rethink the values we want our societies to be based upon. What gives anyone the right to play with nature and the lives of the young? Society is being progressively debased and held to the ransom of small vocal minorities such as those described above. As it stands, current demographic trends in many european countries do not bode well for growth and stability in the coming years. We need to start replacing ourselves, and in responsible, nurturing ways. The natural family structure (of actively involved mother and father) needs to be protected, embraced and promoted by society. Our children have a right to it; Our shared future depends on it.

Andy, Ireland,

Lisa: 'There were 18,059 civil partnerships formed in the UK between December 2005 and the end of December 2006.' (national statistics). Unless there are far fewer gay and lesbian people than we've always been told, this suggests that enthusiasm for lifelong commitment is the exception rather than the rule.

Marie Claire, being raised by a lesbian couple is certainly not the worst thing that can happen to a child (assuming they do actually stay together). That doesn't make it the best. Personally, I'm very glad that my parents were both real parents. Does that make me homophobic?

Alan, Berlin, Germany

I find it strange that Terri Arnold has not pursued Sharon Arnold for child support nor condemn her for leaving. I pity the children.

Carolyn, Surbiton,

Hang on, if Mr Bathie donated sperm via a registered clinic for the use of others, he has signed away both rights and responsibilities. This should surely be respected, or are all donor 'fathers' to be chased in this way? And what about egg donors?

The lesbian couple in this story seem to have had a somewhat cavalier attitude that has served the children ill. IMHO the non-biological 'mother' has more responsibility than the biological father and the law should recognise this.

Stuart, London,

While wishful thinking is indeed a bad basis for law, it is also a bad basis for column writing. It is deeply sad but also ironic to attack alleged wishful thinking by using cosy, unsubstantiated arguments based on a social outlook that is no longer no dominant nor desired.

Mark , London,

In today's Times2 there is an article entitled "I pay a man for regular sex" which is framed in glowing terms of how wonderful this arrangement is. A couple of weeks ago on one cable channel I watched a programme about single teenage girls with several babies by different fathers. Your own property columnists run regular scare stories about how terrible it might be if house prices actually fell to levels where ordinary working young people might actually be able to buy a house. But no, according to Melanie it's a lesbian couples having children that threaten society as we know it most. Maybe if they were paying men for sex or simply sleeping with them to have a baby then that would be fine. Good grief -- sort out your priorities (and be honest about your homophobia).

Marie Claire, UK,

In our increasingly weird society, the rights of the individual to do just about anything they like is sacrosanct.

The sentimental pedestal society places children on might also suggest their rights are considered inviolate - until two homosexuals want to have a child. Then the rights of children are demoted to those of dogs at Christmas in some misguided consession to Political Correctness, the Governor of our country.

Jonathan, Farnham, UK

'Gay relationships can, of course, be solid and lasting, but the reality is that most last less long than normal marriages.' Where is your evidence to support this?

Lisa, Glasgow,

Nobody seems to come out well from this story. Mr Bathie has been depicted as a good samartitan, donating sperm to a couple in need. But he fails to see that this is not like donating money or property (and even that might attract the beady eye of the law). The end result of this donation is a human life dependent on ongoing care for decades. Although he went into this arrangement in good faith he has been at least irresponsible in not working out the consequences of the worst scenario, which has now come about.
The female couple has done a disservice to the causes of all homosexual couples wanting the right to bring up children. Sharon Arnold presumably felt strongly that homosexual couples were as capable of raising children as heterosexual, when she took on the 'parenthood' of the child. However, the moment things unravelled and she walked away from the relationship, she conventiently invoked the undeniable difference enabling her to walk away also from the child.

Deehess, Bristol,