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 Posthumous sperm donation is technically feasible and morally
acceptable, the specialists said in a review published in the
Journal of Medical Ethics on Tuesday. They argue it should be seen
like organ and other tissue donations as a way of relieving the
suffering of others.
While infertility is not life-threatening, said Nathan Hodson of
Britain's Leicester University and Joshua Parker of Britain's
Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, it causes great suffering and
could be said to be a form of illness.
"If it is morally acceptable that individuals can donate their
tissues to relieve the suffering of others in 'life enhancing
transplants' for diseases ... we see no reason why this cannot be
extended to other forms of suffering like infertility, which may or
may not also be considered a disease," they said.
Such a move would raise questions about consent and family
permissions for posthumous donations, Parker and Hodson said, and
there would also be concerns about anonymity of the donor.
Britain has a shortage of donor sperm, while demand is high, and
increasing, the experts said. They cited government data showing
that an estimated 4,000 samples are imported to Britain each year
from the United States, and 3,000 from Denmark, as well as more from
other European Union countries.
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Sperm can be collected after death either through electrical
stimulation of the prostate gland or with surgery. It can then be
frozen and stored until required.
Parker and Hodson cited studies showing that sperm harvested from
dead men can result in healthy pregnancies and children with normal
health and development, even when the sperm is retrieved 48 hours
after death.
Other medical experts said the analysis raised issues that need to
be resolved.
"Further discussion is needed to understand whether people who need
to use donor sperm would even want to use the sperm of a deceased
donor," said Sarah Norcross, director of the Progress Educational
Trust.
"It is also vital to seek the opinions of donor-conceived people
about what they think the impact would be of never being able to
meet the donor."
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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