A Donor Offspring Opinion

An interesting article, written by an adult male who was conceived via donor sperm, outlines the growing problems sperm banks are facing. Governments around the world are passing rules restricting or eliminating anonymity for sperm donors. The results that were predicted by some experts have occurred. Most of the countries that have adopted these rules are suffering shortages of donors and in some countries, prospective parents must endure long waiting lists to get their donor of choice. Others may have to choose another donor because of limited inventory on their donor. The author of the article points out that some donors may not mind being contacted by their offspring years later, however, most donors value the anonymity that is promised to them. Legal decisions by various authorities appear to have overturned contracts signed in good faith years earlier. The author also points out the troubling economics of these policies. Supply and demand dictates that the price of donor sperm will go up when supply runs low (or out). As the supply of donor sperm is severely decreased by these policies, sperm prices for the remaining supply will increase sharply. Also, as the supply of donor sperm decreases, women have less options in terms of selecting the personal and physicial characteristics of a donor they may desire, and may even seek donor sperm through unregulated sources. Fortunately, the restrictions that have sparked the sperm shortages in other countries have not been implemented in the U.S. Let us hope that we can learn from the mistakes in other countries and keep donor sperm available and affordable in the U.S.