The Chennai High Court has passed a historic order under which it is no longer mandatory for filling up the father's name in the birth certificate and only the mother's name is compulsory. This order is seen as a great boon for single mothers and those who choose to have children through artificial insemination.

The judge M.S. Ramesh held that it is enough for a woman to file an affidavit stating that the baby was born in her womb and even those whose husband's have deserted them can obtain the birth certificates. The judgement was passed in a case where a divorcee had given birth to a child through intrauterine insemination and the municipalty issued the birth certificate naming the sperm donor as the father.