Know thy daddy
The B.C. Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Adoption Act and Adoption Regulations on Thursday. They argued that the legislation denies offspring of sperm and egg donors (gamete donors) their Charter rights, which ought to be equal to those of adopted children with regard to knowledge of the identity and medical history of their biological parents.
The court order will only go into effect in 15 months' time to allow the B.C. legislature leisure to enact appropriate legislation. But effective immediately, gamete donor records are prohibited from being destroyed or transferred out of B.C. Thus, like closed adoptions, anonymous gamete donation will no longer be permitted in that province.
The driving force behind the suit was Olivia Pratten, a young woman conceived by her biological mother and an anonymous sperm donor. She has been seeking knowledge about the hidden half of her bio-inheritance for years.
The ruling makes sense. A child wants to know, and has the right to know, as much as possible about his or her genetic roots. This is a principle well understood with regard to adopted children, and there is no logical reason why it should not apply to donor children.
Unlike adoption, sperm and egg donation has been an unregulated marketplace. Its focus has been the desire of parents to have a child. Too often, the conceived child's interest is forgotten.
This ruling is bound to inhibit the sperm market, and this will make it more difficult for some women to have children. But that is a price worth paying so that all children can know their roots.
Don't fund the New Jets
Speaking to a local radio station on Thursday, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger struck a cautious tone on the possibility of an American NHL franchise relocating to Winnipeg. The last week has seen much speculation that True North Sports and Entertainment may acquire the struggling Atlanta Thrashers and bring them north. This would give the city an NHL franchise for the first time since 1996, when the Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes.
Obviously, Mr. Selinger would welcome such a move, and has said that he supports the "prudent" efforts of True North to purchase the team. But he also has said clearly that the province of Manitoba will not provide funding for the team, or subsidize any losses that it may incur if relocated to Winnipeg.
Good for him. While no one should doubt the average Pegger's passionate love of hockey, it was only 15 years ago that the city proved unwilling or unable to sustain an NHL franchise. It would be irresponsible for Mr. Selinger to offer (or even imply that he might offer) a blank cheque to a business proposition that is, despite the public's enthusiastic backing, still a risky proposition that has failed before.
Mr. Selinger has said that his government would be willing to "help" True North move the team to Winnipeg, and to make sure that the city gets maximum value from its existing professional arena. This has been interpreted by some to mean that the province would consider helping True North pay down the debt on the facility, or would fund further renovations that would make it better suited to NHL hockey, as the province has provided funds for the arena in the past. If Mr. Selinger feels the taxpayers of Manitoba will benefit from further investments in the arena, that's his decision.
But we very much hope Mr. Selinger sticks to his guns and refuses any direct aid to True North and the as-yet-hypothetical New Jets. Hockey is a wonderful sport and Winnipeg's fans deserve a team, but not if the price is every Manitoban taxpayer opening their wallets to fund one city's recreational activities.
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