Sperm Banks - Ethical Considerations

A sperm donor will be biological father of every child produced as a result of his donation. However, he is not intended to be a legal father. Sperm can be stored for as long as twenty years. However, only 50% of the sperm cells survive that time and have normal capability to fertilize the egg. The first successful artificial insemination of a woman with her husband's sperm was recorded in 1790. However, it took centuries for human society to accept the idea to use the sperm of a man other than the woman's husband to achieve a pregnancy. Another problem was linked with the sperm preservation. The first successful human pregnancy with frozen sperm was reported in 1953 and this triggered interest in the possibility of sperm banks. The first one was established in early 70s in USA. However, the full worth of using frozen sperm, in contrast to fresh one, came to the daylight after identification of sexually transmitted disease AIDS. The use of frozen sperm with a grace time of six months give time to retest the donor for the presence of HIV, hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases.