US court rules lesbian egg donor has parent rights

The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that a woman who donated an egg to her lesbian partner has parental rights to the child, and on Thursday it ordered a lower court to determine custody and visitation rights.

The case involves two women who began raising the child together. One donated an egg that was fertilized and implanted in the other, who gave birth in 2004. But the couple split up two years later, and the birth mother eventually left the country. The other woman, who identifies herself as the biological mother, used a private detective to find her former partner in Australia, and a custody fight ensued. (AP)