A legal loophole is allowing sperm donated in the UK to be exported to other countries, potentially leading to the creation of large numbers of donor-conceived children worldwide. This practice violates the UK’s strict 10-family limit that applies within its fertility clinics, as there are no restrictions on exporting sperm or eggs abroad. Experts warn that this could result in donor-conceived children having dozens of biological half-siblings across Europe and beyond. They are urging the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to tighten regulations to prevent this from happening.
As per The Guardian, “If you believe that it’s necessary to enforce the 10-family limit in the modern world then logically that should apply wherever the sperm are from,” said Prof Jackson Kirkman-Brown, chair of the Association for Reproductive and Clinical Scientists (ARCS). “There is data showing that some of the children who find the really big families struggle with that,” he added.
“Once you’ve frozen sperm it doesn’t get any older,” said Mr Kirkman-Brown. This means that a donor sperm could continue to be used for years or decades. “You can end up with donor siblings older than your parents, which is not somewhere we’ve been yet,” he added.
Prof Nicky Hudson, a medical sociologist at De Montford University, said, Donations are “presented to donors as a beautiful gift to help someone create a family, not as, ‘We’re going to maximise the number of births from your gametes and make as much money as we can from that.”
The 10-family limit across licensed clinics is enforced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). According to the regulatory body, this limit reflects the number that people feel comfortable with regarding the potential number of donor-conceived children, half-siblings, and families that could be created.
“As the HFEA has no remit over donation outside of HFEA licensed clinics, there would be no monitoring of how many times a donor is used in these circumstances,” said Rachel Cutting, director of compliance and information at the HFEA.
According to the reports by The Guardian,Until five years ago, the United Kingdom primarily imported sperm, mainly from the US and Denmark. However, between 2019 and 2021, the UK exported 7,542 sperm straws. Additionally, the world’s largest sperm and egg bank, Cryos, opened a facility in Manchester this April. As per the reports,The European Sperm Bank, which accounted for 90% of exports, applies a worldwide limit of 75 families a donor and estimates that its donors help on average 25 families.
“The concept of a father with many children is already ingrained in our cultural imagination. However, we don’t have a similar concept for women,” observed Prof. Nicky Hudson, adding that it’s not something women are encouraged to consider.