What does it mean to be a Father?  Does the name alone give you the right to be a parent? What if you are an absentee Father, then are you just the sperm donor?  Can you really call yourself a Father if you don’t see or speak with your children?  Can you be a Father to somebody else’s children?

This week I have dealt with this issue and have seen a court ruling about what it means to be a Father.  Actor Jason Patric has been fighting for the right to be a Father.  He and his then girlfriend conceived a child through ivf using his sperm.  They co-parented for two years before ending their relationship.  Although Patric never signed the birth certificate his intention based on a form signed at the sperm clinic, was to be a parent.  Although when the two broke up the mother took it upon…