Sperm donor ‘used fake names to father more than 60 children’
A sperm donor used fake names to father more than 60 children in Australia, it has been reported.
Parents from an LGBTQ+ community grew suspicious when they met at an event for new parents and noticed some of their children looked similar. They then began calling local IVF facilities to investigate.
The man, whose identity has not been revealed, reportedly used four different aliases to donate sperm.
Dr Anne Clark from Fertility First told News Corp that the man had been to her clinic only once, but had offered his services through several unofficial means, such as Facebook groups.
She is reported as saying: “We know he got gifts, holidays - all a complete criminal offence.”
In Australia, it is illegal under the Human Tissue Act for someone to sell or exchange of receive a gift for giving another person organs or tissues.
In spite of this, Facebook pages are rife with posts asking for informal donations.
It is also illegal for sperm donors to receive payment for their donations in the UK, according to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
They are allowed to receive a maximum of £35 for each clinic visit to cover their expenses. They may claim a higher sum if their expenses for travel, accommodation or childcare surpasses this sum.
The HFEA also says that one person’s sperm donation can be used among a maximum of 10 families.
There is no set limit to the number of children who can be born among each family, and donors can decide to lower their limit for donations to families.
