Gay sperm donors will not be required to disclose their sexual orientation to potential recipients, say Fertility Associates. The clinic's medical director Dr Richard Fisher says donors are required to fill out a questionnaire that asks a number of personal questions, including religious affiliation and health status. Fertility Associates' recent decision to reverse a blanket ban on gay donors means sexual orientation will now also be questioned. However, donors can refuse to answer any of the questions listed. "From our point of view, being a donor is offering a gift," he told GayNZ.com. "You can offer a gift on any terms and conditions you wish. You can supply whatever information you wish, and the recipient makes their decision about whether to use that donor on the information in front of them.We don't go back and say ‘you haven't filled this out, we need more information'." The spectre of "gay sperm panic" was ignited in the media earlier this week by Christchurch geneticist Frank Sin, who believes that potential parents should be warned if their donor is gay, lest their children turn out the same. It's an opinion which puts Sin at odds with the vast majority of scientists, who believe that sexual orientation is determined by an as-yet unquantifiable mix of genetics and environment. Dr Fisher says he is "heartily sick" of the fuss being made over gay donors. "This is about an agreement between a donor and recipient at arm's length," he says. "I don't think it matters whether they're gay, heterosexual, or Catholic. It's a matter between those two parties, with us acting as an intermediary." If concerned potential parents question the clinic over whether a gay donor will produce gay children, they'll be told "we think it'll be extraordinarily unlikely."
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 16th March 2006 - 12:00pm