Sperm Donor Law Needed? Why 150 Siblings Could Be Bad
Do you think having three kids is tough? What about 150? Because of America's lax sperm donor laws, some sperm donors are actually inadvertently fathering dozens of children. Some are fathering 10 times that number.
This is because the U.S. doesn't have many sperm donor regulations that monitor how many times a sperm donor's "contributions" has been distributed.
In extreme cases, this can mean that children of sperm donors have many half-siblings.
Cynthia Dailey, who had a child using a sperm donor, did a little research on her own and found that her son had 149 half-siblings, according to ABC News. This means that this one man fathered 150 children.
This figure is troubling. It can increase the risk that unsuspecting half-siblings could end up in incestuous relationships without their knowledge.
And, it can result in tightening of the gene pool. If one sperm donor is at risk for some genetic disease and passes it down to 150 children, the implications can be widespread for generations to come.
Is it time for regulation?
If the U.S. did enact more regulation around sperm donors, they'd only be joining other countries that have passed regulations around sperm donation.
England only permits 10 children from one sperm donor, according to CBS News.
Besides restricting the number of children from each sperm donor, maybe it's time for regulations to also tighten down on more medical screening for potential sperm donors.
What's worrisome is that sometimes sperm donors are not even required to update their medical records post-donation. This may mean that some children might have genetic diseases that they could have been notified about but have not.
It probably is time for the U.S. to at least consider some new sperm donor laws. Medical advancements often precede legal advancements. As fertility treatments progress, new sperm donor regulations are likely necessary to address the increase of fertility clinics and artificial insemination nationwide.
Related Resources:
- Children of Sperm Donors May Have Many Siblings (New York Times)
- Sperm Donor Child Support: Is He Legally Liable? (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- Two Moms, Two Dads, and a Baby (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
