On Sunday, The New York Times published an article discussing the unregulated nature of the sperm donation industry in the United States. The piece showed there are no records of a quantity of sperm donors, how often these donors donate or how many times a donor’s sperm is used. The article was published on the heels of Vince Vaughn’s latest film, “Delivery Man,” in which Vaughn’s character, a sperm donor, unintentionally fathers 533 children. While the film puts a humorous face on the issue, the unregulated nature of the industry is no laughing matter. In the past few years, the lack of control over sperm donation has yielded issues like the spreading of genetic disease and accidental incest.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine recommends all sperm donors undergo genetic screening. However, because of its optional nature, many men forgo this screening, and their sperm is accepted regardless, meaning sperm banks are potentially using sperm that contains genetic disorders. In addition, sperm banks have no idea how many times a certain donor’s sperm is used, so hundreds of offspring can be born from this sperm and possess the same genetic disorder. In September 2011, The New York Times reported that a donor with Aspergers syndrome fathered 22 children. A large percentage of the children ultimately showed symptoms of the disorder or became carriers. More recently, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study in which a donor transmitted a genetic heart defect to 22 offspring, which eventually claimed the life of one toddler.
A lack of regulation also results in an alarming number of accidental incest cases. The same New York Times report revealed a man that unintentionally fathered 150 children. Because sperm donors were not tracked — only 20 to 40 percent of sperm donor mothers report their child’s births to sperm banks — the children did not know who their half siblings were. This raised the potential situation of two people procreating, unaware they were half siblings, which would ultimately result in incest. Children born from this relationship would have a higher probability of congenital birth defects and weak immune systems.
While guidelines for sperm donation regulation exist, they remain unenforced. Genetic testing for donors is recommended. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine urges that there only be 25 sperm donor births per population of 800,000. Mothers of donor children are asked to report their child’s birth. Government agencies, like the Food and Drug Administration, must make an effort to turn these recommendations into action by forcing donors to be screened, limiting the amount of times a donor’s sperm can be used and making mothers register their children with sperm banks. Without proper regulation, the sperm donation industry is more harmful than helpful.
A version of this column appeared in the Wednesday, Dec. 4 print edition. Lena Rawley is a staff columnist. Email her at [email protected].
