Six years ago, during a brief affair in Chicago, Dr. Sharon Irons manually
inseminated herself with sperm from Dr. Richard O. Phillips, following oral
sex. The result was a daughter, now aged 5, for whom Phillips has reluctantly
been paying $800 a month to support while his lawsuit against Irons for
deception travels through Illinois courts. A trial judge had dismissed all of
his claims, but in February, the Illinois Appeals Court granted a partial
reversal, ordering a trial on whether she inflicted "emotional distress" by a
legally "outrageous" act. However, the court dismissed Phillips' claim that
Irons had "stolen" his sperm, stating that "it was a gift, an absolute and
irrevocable transfer of title to property from a donor to a donee" and that,
without a specific agreement to return it, it was hers to do with as she
pleased. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette-AP, 2-24-05]