Accountant is India's first single in-vitro father

KOLKATA (AFP) — A 45-year-old accountant has become India's first single man to father an in-vitro fertilized baby though he still faces hurdles to keep the boy, legal and medical professionals warned.

Amit Bannerjee, whose childless marriage ended in divorce many years ago, never gave up his desire to have a child, said Dr. Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar, director of the Kolkata-based Institute for Fertility Research.

On Sunday Bannerjee's dream came true when he held son Arjun, weighing 2.8 kilograms (6.1 pounds) after birth by a surrogate mother who was implanted with an egg from another woman fertilised by Bannerjee's sperm.

"A child is always an extension of the self. I wanted to see myself through my baby," Bannerjee, a tax consultant, told reporters.

His single status however raised many legal questions including parental rights, said Gitanath Ganguly, a lawyer and a ...