Dawn Pieke and Fabian Blue both wanted to be parents. In 2011, neither of them knew that the other existed. Dawn lived in Omaha, Nebraska and Fabian lived in Melbourne, Australia. They first met through a Facebook page for the site Co-parents.net. They talked through Facebook and Skype and forged a connection. Eventually, Fabian decided to move from Melbourne to Omaha so that he and Dawn could have a child together. The catch? They were not looking for a romantic relationship with one another, but looking for someone to share a child with.

Dawn and Fabian are among many couples who are using the internet as a way of finding people who, like them, want to be parents but are not looking for a romantic relationship. The New York Times reported last week that more and more people are looking to the internet to find someone with whom to share a child. Sites such as PollenTree.com, Coparents.com, Modamily.com, and MyAlternativeFamily.com are becoming more popular as people seek a person who is looking for the opportunity to have a child without starting a romantic relationship.

The laws around co-parenting agreements vary from state to state, so it is important to be aware of the laws as well as any court cases that may affect such agreements. The Family Formation Law Center offers services to co-parents including drafting parenting agreements, developing parenting plans, mediating issues that arise during disagreements and advising regarding egg and sperm donation as it pertains to co-parenting. If you have questions or would like to schedule a consultation, please contact Rose@FamilyFormationLawCenter.com or 310-598-6428.

For the full text of the article, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/fashion/seeking-to-reproduce-without-a-romantic-partnership.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&.