A woman who became pregnant after a one-night stand yesterday won the right to keep the existence of her baby a secret from its father.

In a landmark decision, three Appeal Court judges agreed that the 20-year-old single mother has "the ultimate veto" over whom should be told about the child, who is being put up for adoption.

Describing the case as "on any view extraordinary", Lord Justice Thorpe ruled there was no justification for "breaking open the mother's secret".

And Lady Justice Arden said this was not a violation of the father's rights to family life under the Human Rights Act because he had no rights to be violated.

The mother, who cannot be identified by order of the court, had kept her pregnancy hidden from her family, colleagues and the father.

She gave birth five months ago and left the baby girl, known only as E, in hospital shortly afterwards.

When she asked for the child to be put up for adoption, a county court ordered that her parents and the father should be told to give them the opportunity to apply to adopt.

But yesterday, the judges decided the father had no rights over the child, who is now in foster care, because "he was only a one-night stand".

And they banned the local authority and guardian from taking any steps to identify him or telling him about his daughter.

There was also an order barring council staff from introducing the girl to any of the mother's family to assess them as potential carers.

The court had been told the family learned about the child after the council made inquiries.

Lord Justice Thorpe said he accepted "the importance of respecting the choice of a young mother who found herself in a terrible dilemma".
Mother who gave birth after one-night stand wins right to keep baby secret from the father | the Daily Mail

1) This ruling is from England.

2) This ruling obliterates any pretense of father-mother equality.
While the mother can give up her rights, she has no rights to ignore the father's rights on the issue.
If he wants to take custody of the child that the mother doesn't want, he should have that option.