British Fertility Society calls for payment for donors

“Heartbreak mums facing a baby crisis over low
sperm levels” was the headline in the Mirror, a London tabloid. According to figures
supplied by the British Fertility Society, there is such a shortfall of sperm
donors in the UK that women are being forced to go overseas to fertility
clinics or to resort to mail-order fresh sperm. The Society says that UK
clinics require 500 sperm donors to service their patients, but at present
there are only 400. Supply has shrunk since the recent abolition of donor
anonymity.

Dr Pacey is aghast at the use of fresh sperm because there are no
guarantees that it is free of HIV or other STDs. “These fresh sperm delivery
services just full me with horror,” he told the London Telegraph. “There is no
way on earth that they can guarantee they are infection free when they do not
quarantine sperm at all.”

The UK’s fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology
Authority is now considering allowing payment for sperm to overcome the
shortage. ~ London Telegraph, Jan 22

Michael Cook
sperm donation

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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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