girl has inherited Fragile-X syndrome from her biological father
A US court has ruled that a sperm bank can be sued for selling sperm
that causes a child to have a genetic defect. The case was brought on
behalf of a 13-year-old girl with Fragile-X syndrome, a common cause of
mental retardation and shines more light on the market for
sperm. According to the judgement, in 1994, Donna Donovan found a
company which promised first-class sperm. Idant Laboratories guaranteed
that its semen was exceptionally safe, that its screening standards
were excellent, and that its donors had been rigorously screened for a good
genetic background. Unfortunately donor G738 was a carrier for Fragile
X. The child’s problems became apparent in 1998, but two doctors
engaged by Idant still insisted that they were not related to Fragile-X
syndrome nor to the donated sperm. Ms Donovan accepted this and it was
not until a case report about her daughter was published in a medical
journal that she realised that the sperm donor had definitely been a
carrier. The case is still in its early stages, but no doubt will be
watched anxiously by all sperm merchants. ~Wall Street Journal, Apr 9

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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