I’d like to comment on the news story that hit the press yesterday: “Court denies effort to ID sperm donor for child support”.
The case of Jane Doe v XYZ Co is primarily a case about obtaining sperm donor identity. Far from being an isolated case, the DSR is aware of other members who maintain that the NECC similarly told them that their donors were willing to be known to their offspring. Like Jane Doe they relied upon the false information when selecting a donor to conceive and are also now trying to obtain donor identity for their children. Although the DSR generally does not rate sperm banks, the DSR does advise members not to use the NECC both because of its identity release confusion and because it has a dire health screening record for its donors, with far too many incidences of hereditary disorders and medical issues being reported to the DSR. At present time the entire sperm and egg banking industry has no accurate record keeping, no updating and sharing of medical records and most times will not assist families who wish to connect to share important genetic and medical information amongst themselves. Like the Appellate Court, the DSR also calls upon the Massachusetts legislature to bring in rules regulating sperm donation and strongly advises that the Massachusetts legislature take this opportunity to become the first state in America to seriously consider the rights of the donor conceived children being born and their right to know their genetic, medical and ancestral backgrounds.