Australia's 'sperm marketplace' an example of horrific fertility practices

A woman in Australia is speaking out against the fertility industry in the country, which has been characterized as "completely shocking."

Key Takeaways:

• Rules and regulations on sperm donation in Australia help protect children, but critics say they have caused chaos in the "sperm marketplace."

• In Australia, men cannot be paid to donate their sperm, and children conceived using their sperm are given access to their biological father's identity when they turn 18. These two factors are causing Australian men to decide against donating sperm.

• One couple said they were given just three donors to choose from and were told to choose quickly because the "top" donors go fast.

The Details:

Australian couple Brittany Bennett and her husband, Luke McLeod, were attempting to have a baby via IVF, when they learned that McLeod had a sperm count of zero. Rather than adopt, they chose to seek out a sperm donor, but found the process to be "completely shocking and chaotic."

She said she wanted to find a donor who had "similar physical features" to her, and was "genetically compatible" with her — meaning any children they created would not have genetic health concerns.

"They explained we'd be added to a list, then new donors would be added to the system weekly. When I asked how many donors we were talking about, I was thinking perhaps 100 or 1,000. I honestly thought that was the type of numbers we might have to choose from, but when we were going through the list, there were three. Three options total, and three ethnicities were represented," she said.

Why are there just three donors? Likely because in Australia, sperm donations must be made without financial incentive, and children created using donated sperm have the legal right to learn the identity of their biological fathers when they turn 18.

Critics argue that affording children the right to know their biological parents takes away some of the choice for people seeking sperm. They also believe men should be paid for creating children they will have no part in raising. Thoughts about the children's welfare or future feelings about their identities seem to be of little consideration.

But Bennett claimed, "For us, we were thinking about our child's future mental health. When they're 13 years old, I don't want their classmates teasing them, asking why they don't look like their mum or dad."

The fertility business pressured Bennett into choosing a sperm donor quickly, saying that she and her husband needed to click on one of the men's profiles as soon as they had interest, or they may not get the donor they wanted.

"I didn't ask for Chris Hemsworth! I just wanted to find someone with a similar bone structure to me, but they literally told us: 'If you see an option you want, click on it as fast as you can, because everyone else will as well.' And I'm just like - that's how I buy concert tickets. It's not how I choose my child's DNA," she said.

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Commentary:

According to Vanessa Ferguson, the CEO of Adora Fertility, "There has always been high demand for donor sperm in Australia which is why, in 2023, we introduced our donor program. The number of donor cycles we have completed this year has doubled since last year and we predict a 256 per cent increase in donor patients alone at Adora Fertility. The challenge in Australia is to find donors who are prepared to adhere to Australia's strict rules and regulations around sperm donation."

Bennett and McLeod, unhappy with the low number of donors and the pressure to choose quickly, ultimately asked McLeod's brother to give them his sperm. He agreed, and Bennett is pregnant with a baby girl who is biologically her brother-in-law's child.

While this may appear to be a great solution for the couple, it will likely end up presenting challenges:

Adult relationship issues: A similar story shared in The Atlantic focused on a woman whose husband gave his sperm to his brother and sister-in-law. Their relationship with the other couple became "very formal." She later learned that strained relationships are a common result of giving sperm or eggs to a family member. “I was just like, ‘Gosh, why hasn’t someone told us?’ Why was nobody saying, ‘This is a big deal, and it’s going to test the limits of your relationship’?” she said. “No doctor working at the cryogenic bank, nobody—nobody said, ‘Hey. Sit down. Think about the relationship and what’s gonna happen.’”

Mental health concerns for the child: This is something Bennett said she wanted to protect her child from. Eight-five percent (85%) of donor-conceived individuals who took part in a Harvard study reported a shift in their “sense of self” upon learning about the nature of their conception. Individuals who participated in the study reported significant distress upon learning about the means of their conception, and about half sought psychological help in order to cope.

Often, adults expect the children whom they manufactured upon demand to be nothing but grateful that they were so "wanted." Yet, clearly, the issue isn't so simple.

The Bottom Line:

The majority of people looking for sperm in Australia are not infertile.

Fifty percent (50%) are single women and 35% are lesbian couples. Married men and women who are actually facing fertility issues account for just 15% of the demand for sperm.

This signifies that the rise of donor technology has less to do with helping people who have infertility and much more to do with fulfilling adult desires at the expense of children's rights — and for financial profit.