KANSAS CITY (TIP): A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple so they could have a child said on Wednesday he is shocked the state is now trying to make him pay child support. William Marotta, 46, donated sperm to Jennifer Schreiner and Angela Bauer under a written agreement that he would not be considered the father of the child nor liable for child support. A daughter, now 3, was born to Schreiner. But in October, the state of Kansas filed a petition seeking to have Marotta declared the father of the child and financially responsible for her after the couple encountered money issues.

Marotta will ask the court on January 8 to dismiss the claim, which centers on a state law that the sperm must be donated through a licenced physician for the father to be free of any later financial obligations. He gave a container of semen to the couple, who found him on Craigslist, instead of donating through a doctor or clinic. The case is seen as having repercussions for other donors. Sperm banks routinely provide sperm to people who want to conceive on the understanding that the donors are not responsible for the children.