Sweden and Belgium are advocating for a European Union (EU) discussion regarding the implementation of limits on the number of children conceived from a single sperm donor. This move aims to mitigate the risk of unintentional incest and the associated psychological impacts on future generations.
The number of donor-conceived births is on the rise across Europe as fertility rates decline and assisted reproductive technologies become more accessible to a wider range of individuals, including same-sex couples and single women. However, many EU countries are facing challenges in recruiting local sperm donors, leading to an increased reliance on commercial cryobanks that export reproductive cells, or gametes, across borders, often resulting in the same donor being used in multiple countries.
Current regulations and their shortcomings
Most EU nations maintain national limits on how many children can be conceived from one donor, with variations ranging from one in Cyprus to ten in France, Greece, Italy, and Poland. However, a significant gap exists concerning cross-border donations, which increases the risk of health issues tied to a single donor and can lead to children discovering they have numerous half-siblings.
“This issue has been left unresolved for too long,” an anonymous Belgian official stated, emphasizing the need for an international cap as a crucial initial step.
Sweden, with the support of Belgium, is set to present this matter to EU ministers, aiming to avert potential future relationships between half-siblings and minimize the likelihood of hereditary diseases. Carolina Östgren, a research officer at the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, stating, “We don’t want genetic half siblings to … start families.”
The implications of a growing donor industry
Sweden’s ethics council initiated a review of these issues in 2023, spurred by a report in Dagens Nyheter highlighting that Swedish clinics are selling donated sperm internationally, which has led to instances where one donor has fathered over 50 children. While Swedish regulations restrict each donor to six couples, there are no regulations governing the number of children they can father across different countries, allowing clinics to bypass national limits.
Some cryobanks voluntarily set limits on the number of families or children per donor, but not all recipients are aware of the potential number of half-siblings their children may have. A notable case involved a donor with a cancer-causing gene whose sperm resulted in at least 67 children, leading to cancer diagnoses in ten of them. Östgren cited this as a compelling reason to push for international regulation.
Despite assertions from sperm banks regarding the thorough health screenings and family history checks conducted on donors, concerns remain, especially in light of genetic risks that may not be identifiable through standard screening processes.
Moreover, the emergence of consumer DNA testing and social media has facilitated connections among donor-conceived individuals, resulting in the discovery of numerous half-siblings globally. An anonymous Belgian official remarked on the significant psychological implications of such discoveries.
As the EU deliberates these critical issues, Belgium is advocating for the removal of donor anonymity and the establishment of a central donor registry, emphasizing the right of donor-conceived children to know their parentage. In March, Sweden, along with ethics councils from Norway, Finland, and Denmark, released a joint report urging the EU to address the complexities surrounding international donations.
With the EU’s forthcoming regulation on substances of human origin set to take effect in 2027, stakeholders hope it will prompt a standardized cap on the number of families per donor and enhance the traceability of donor information. Östgren asserts that an EU resolution could pave the way for global guidance on this pressing issue, stating, “Sperm is exported … in the whole world.”