Private sperm donors a real risk

Many netizens are now battling with the issue of "sperm donation". And a large number of them have "offered" themselves as voluntary sperm donors "guaranteeing" conception through direct or indirect means, which is fraught with legal and moral risks, says an article in Legal Daily. Excerpts:

It appears that many of the voluntary sperm donors have mistaken, albeit deliberately, "sperm donation" for "free sex", which can turn the original aim of "sperm donation" into a "sexual trade-off". Needless to say, this can be detrimental to family stability and harmony in the future and lead to a social crisis.

Besides, compared with choosing sperms from a national sperm pool, opting for a donor through personal contacts is inherently dangerous, for it can result in transfer of genetic and/or sexual diseases to the child. Even the "beneficiary" would be at risk.

Regulations on sperm banks say no unit or individual can collect or offer sperm for money. But the paltry penalty for doing so has failed to deter people from striking deals in secret.

Though risky, the demand is still huge. The shortage of sperm in official sperm banks, combined with the cumbersome and time-consuming procedure and high cost to get a proper donor, has driven infertile couples to the "black market".

Therefore, to tackle the problem and protect people from falling in trouble, the government should set up more sperm banks, simplify the procedures and improve information dissemination.

(China Daily 09/20/2012 page9)