Sperm donors need limits, says a European fertility group
A European fertility advocacy group is calling for stricter limits on the number of offspring allowed per sperm donor to protect families and children. The push comes as historical lack of regulation has left many donor-conceived individuals unable to identify their biological siblings or medical hi
Ties van der Meer, a donor-conceived man from the Netherlands, represents a growing number of individuals advocating for increased transparency in the fertility industry. After the Netherlands outlawed anonymous donations in 2004, some clinics destroyed records, preventing donor-conceived children from identifying their biological origins or the extent of their sibling networks.
Advocacy groups are now urging European regulators to establish standardized caps on the number of families a single donor can assist. This measure is intended to prevent accidental consanguinity and address the psychological impact on individuals who discover they have dozens or even hundreds of half-siblings across multiple countries.
The European fertility community is debating how to balance the privacy rights of past donors with the modern demand for genetic transparency. Currently, regulations vary significantly across the continent, leading to a phenomenon known as 'fertility tourism' where donors and patients move between jurisdictions to bypass local restrictions. Source: Ties van der Meer/European fertility advocacy group.
