The multibillion-dollar sperm donation business has shockingly little oversight, leading to false promises of anonymity, insufficient medical testing and high numbers of half-siblings, according to advocates who are demanding more stringent regulation of the emotionally wrought fertility industry.
“They’re not creating gidgets and widgets. They’re creating human beings,” said Wendy Kramer, founder of the Donor Sibling Registry. “Because there’s a lack of oversight, it’s kind of a free-for-all. If we can’t be ethical in this area, where can we be ethical?”
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Kramer and other members of the registry, a 50,000-member organization for donors and donor offspring, filed a petition last month to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking the agency to consider a major expansion of those mandates, including:
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- More comprehensive genetic and medical testing;
- Tracking and limiting the number of offspring per donor to reduce the number of half-siblings;
- Updated donor testing to track conditions that may develop over time;
- An end to donor anonymity.
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In the past two years, the cryobank has added criminal background checks and psychological screening, as well as testing for 261 genetic mutations.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Special Report: Inside the billion dollar sperm donation business
