Sperm from dead men should be permitted for donation, argues study

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The authors say it is not just technically feasible but “ethically permissible”, due to its potential to alleviate the suffering caused when would-be parents struggle to access donor sperm. Dr Nathan Hodson, of the College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, and Joshua Parker, of the Department of Education and Research, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, wrote: “It is both feasible and morally permissible for men to volunteer their sperm to be donated to strangers after death in order to ensure sufficient quantities of sperm with desired qualities.” The UK currently relies on importing samples from specialist sperm banks based abroad in order to keep up with increasing demand, the article says. They wrote: “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 this cannot be extended to other forms of suffering like infertility, which may or may not also be considered a disease.” They envisage a situation where men could indicate during life that they have a preference to donate sperm after death. Some would-be parents may prefer to use sperm from a donor who is no longer alive, they say, as it could “provide a degree of simplicity when thinking about that child's future in terms of potential future interactions with their donor”.