A.I.D.S. Sperm Risk Unlikely (Press, 27 July 1985)
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Summary: A.I.D.S. Sperm Risk Unlikely (Press, 27 July 1985)
In July 1985, the head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the Christchurch Clinical School of Medicine, Professor Donald Aickin, addressed concerns regarding the safety of an artificial insemination by donor programme that had been suspended due to fears surrounding the A.I.D.S. virus. He indicated that the women participating in the Christchurch programme were unlikely at risk for contracting A.I.D.S. because of the small, well-known pool of donors associated with the programme. The suspension of the programme occurred at the end of 1984, and it was set to be reconsidered early in 1986. In contrast to Christchurch's approach, artificial insemination programmes in larger cities like Sydney used anonymous sperm banks, which posed a different risk profile. Professor Aickin suggested that should the Christchurch programme be reinstated, comprehensive A.I.D.S. testing for all donors would be an essential requirement. Meanwhile, in Auckland, safeguards had been implemented in the local artificial insemination programme at the National Women’s Hospital. Dr Freddie Graham reported that all 60 women involved had been informed about the slight risk of A.I.D.S. transmission from infected semen. Despite this risk, all women chose to proceed with the treatment. Donors were required to affirm that they did not belong to high-risk groups for A.I.D.S., such as homosexuals or intravenous drug users, and since donors were unpaid, this reduced the potential for dishonest declarations. Commenting further on the subject, Professor John Hutton, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at Wellington Hospital, stated the likelihood of contracting A.I.D.S. from donor sperm was significantly lower than the risk involved with blood transfusions. His comments followed media reports of four women who had contracted A.I.D.S. from sperm used in the Sydney artificial insemination programme from a bisexual donor in 1982. This incident highlighted the potential dangers of using donor sperm without stringent screening processes.
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