Sperm Donations

@wolfie34 (26771)
United Kingdom
January 17, 2007 7:32pm CST
I saw an article in the newspaper about sperm donations. This opens up a big hornets nest, because ok a lot of couples can't have children and sperm donation is an opportune way of being able to have a baby. But aren't the laws changing that the father of the sperm is named. So that when the child is old enough to enquire about his real father? What are your views on sperm donations? Is it right? Is it morally wrong? Or is helping mother nature along. Sperm donators do get paid for their 'time and offering' so everyone benefits? So is there really any harm to it?
5 people like this
44 responses
@ukchriss (2097)
18 Jan 07
I think sperm donation is a good thing but there has been a Reduction of Sperm Donor Candidates Due to the Abolition of the Anonymity Rule, I believe its about One in six couples who have fertility problems so they all need help to conceive. Until a few years ago people who donated sperm, eggs or embryos could choose to remain anonymous. Donors had to give identifying details for the a main register, but these stayed confidential. one of the laws brought in in 1990 lets people apply to find out if they were conceived using donated sperm, eggs or embryos. They could also check whether they were related to someone they wanted to marry. But they did not have the right to know who the donor was. Over the past few years, attitudes towards donation and people's right to know about their genetic origins have changed again. As a result, on 1 April 2005 another new law came into effect, which allows people conceived through donation to find out who the donor was, once they reach 18. If you donated from April 2005 onwards, identifying information about you can be given to people conceived from your donation when they reach the age of 18. So In most cases, this will be from 2023 onwards. A donor-conceived person can ask for the following identifying information about you, as well as the non-identifying information you will also have given: The donor's name (and their name at birth, if different) Date and place of donor's birth Last known address (or their address recorded at the time of registration) After 1991, there was a limit of 10 ‘live birth events’, which meant that 10 couples or individuals could have children from the same donor. They might have had a single child, twins or triplets at the birth event, and could subsequently apply to use the same donor to have further children, who would be full genetic siblings to the first child(ren). This was allowed even if the limit of 10 live birth events had been reached. In 2005, the guidance was simplified to allow 10 families to be created from any one donor's gametes. All the details are to be kept on the HFEA register. http://www.hfea.gov.uk/cps/rde/xchg/hfea The information is coded and is not available to the general public. Only those with a right to this information by law-in other words donor-conceived people aged 18 or over-will have access to it.
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
18 Jan 07
I can't personally understand the purpose of the Abolition of the Anonymity Rule, it just opens a big can of worms. Thanks for your excellent, informative, response.
@ukchriss (2097)
21 Jan 07
Just reading your reply, [smiles]' it just opens a big can of worms' was that meant to be funny cos it made me laugh? ... I spose in a way i can understand the Abolition of the Anonymity Rule, I think everyone likes to know where they came from and who their mum and dad are, There's also sometimes maybe medical reasons that someone may need to know details, Its all a bit 'swings and roundabouts' ... yes my go at making a joke lol
@darckj (885)
• Philippines
18 Jan 07
its good that the name of the donor be kept confidential.. i know some children will eventually look for their real father when they happen to know the truth that they came from sperm banks.. i mean, the father thay had known is not their real father.. in cases like this, they can look for records in that bank.. as for the parents who benefit the sperm, it would be unfair on their part cause they will be wanting the kids, and treat them like their own children that really came from them..^^
1 person likes this
@lastwish (779)
• India
18 Jan 07
lol...no harm, i want to donate some coz i have alot i just flush them all the time, i need to help people to have some good ,smart and intelligent babies.
• Nigeria
18 Jan 07
IF the sperm is used and a pregnancy results then it is YOUR kid. You don't know who is raising your son or daughter or if they are good parents. One of the things I would think about in choosing a wife is what is her genetic history. This is because her genetics will be a part of my child. I mean things like, "Is there a history of mental illness or something of that nature in her family. With sperm donation you have no say in who will be the mother of you child
1 person likes this
@Sarah1977 (495)
• United States
18 Jan 07
In my opinion, the whole idea of sperm donation is wrong. There are so many children in this world who have been abandoned and are in need of loving people to adopt them. I think it is rather strange to rather have yourself injected with the sperm of a complete stranger then to adopt a child that is already here and in need.
1 person likes this
@mjalingo (169)
• Nigeria
18 Jan 07
It seems OK, but hence most couples don't need kids i think there is no use for that.
1 person likes this
@b00chay (25)
18 Jan 07
I can't see anything at all wrong with sperm donations; I mean providing unfortunate couples with a way to have children is the right thing to do. yes, It is true that new laws could mean that fathers by donation could be named on request once the child has reached 18; I see no problem with this, The kid will be a legal adult and it will have a right to know his genetic roots, and hell I can't see why I donor would argue with this, they have NO legal responsibility. Getting paid is a bonus but lets face it money for bringing happiness? Nothing wrong with that.
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Jan 07
how would you feel years down the road knowing that there are children out there that are yours. how will your children feel to find out that they have siblings. I think it is a bad idea.
• India
18 Jan 07
Maybe your are wrong.CUZ.children will be mature enough to learn tat its a gift to be born in this world than to not be there as a living thing. Itz morally difficult to the siblings but they`ll overcome these things on the spinning of the time wheel...
@ghalayini (122)
• Australia
18 Jan 07
I think it would be so eerie walking down the street wondering if that could be my child through the sperm donation. I don't think I would ever consider it. Too many unknowns.
@crazyrk (817)
• Brazil
18 Jan 07
I'll never donate sperm, why ? Because I don't want to have a son like this, even if he wasn't "mine", you know... Good bye, crazyrk.
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I dont see any harm in sperm donation. Like you said it helps the people who cannot have children. No it is not morally wrong in my eyes. If a childred grows up with having a father around then suddenly when the child is an adult and the father pops back in his or her life again in my eyes they are not father. Yes biologically but thats it.
@onesiobhan (1327)
• Canada
19 Jan 07
It's a similar issue to adoption. You want to know something about the parent mainly for medical reasons, but you also have to protect their privacy. There are lots of people who don't know anything about their father even if fertilization happened the old-fashioned way.
• Canada
18 Jan 07
I think it sounds gross how do they get it in there. I would rather have a baby the regular way.
@kabella50 (309)
• United States
18 Jan 07
everyone at the time benefits,but what about the child who is conceived?
@Alexc123 (126)
18 Jan 07
i do not feel that this will affect them too much. generally the people who need the sperm donations are a couple but the male in the relationship may be unable to provide fertile sperm. in this case the child would grow up knowing the husband of his mother as his dad.
• United States
18 Jan 07
I know sometimes it tells you that the father has the option or not to tell them or not. I think that sperm donations is a big thing for couple who can't have children. I think that hey if know one wants to make some extra cash to get rid of some "stuff" go for it!haha
• India
18 Jan 07
sperm donetion is a kool thing as u said that if any couple cannot have kids it will be very usefull for them...............& instead of sperm donation it would have been better if we could sell our sperm or we should have been paid for sperm donation
18 Jan 07
Well i dont think it will be a problem ... has long the name is anonimous... if it is to help parents that cant have kids... why not?
• United States
18 Jan 07
What city do you live in. I think donating sperm would be my ideal job. I would work 7 days a week and put in as many hours as it took. I'm not trying to be funny but if people want to buy sperm mines for sale. And no i dont think that the donor gives their name but it might be possible if they want to get to know the kid later.
@anex84 (465)
• Bulgaria
18 Jan 07
Sperm donations is cool. It is helping to couples that cant have children. I dont see anything unmorally here.
• Canada
18 Jan 07
Global overpopulation is a bigger problem than Peak Oil and global warming. unfortunately Peak Oil and Global warming will take care of that problem in the long run. Sperm donations could be seen as a good way of making sure we have a large gene pool to draw from after a die off happens. Naming the father would hopefully avoid inbreeding and the child would know ( again hopefully)some of the medical history of the father. That could be important in the future.
@Alexc123 (126)
18 Jan 07
i think that sperm donation is a perfectly fine thing to do as it helps people have children that would otherwise be unable to have them. i do not agree that the father should be contacted by the child once they become older for a few reasons. the main one being the man could have just been low on money and went along to get some money, the last thing he needs is a kid to come along aswell.