I am well out of my medical comfort zone on this posting. Nevertheless, the title of this
article from the New York Times, about one sperm donor fathering 150 children, was intriguing. Wow.
Of greater interest is a handful of medical and ethical concerns raised by the above situation. There appear to be reasonable concerns among parents, donors and medical experts about potential negative consequences of having so many children fathered by the same donors. This includes the possibility that genes for rare diseases will be spread more widely through the population. Some experts are even calling attention to the increased odds of accidental incest between half sisters and half brothers. Apparently, offspring of donors often live close to one another,
making this scenario not a far fetched thought.
Countries such as Britain, France and Sweden, limit how many children a sperm donor can father. No such limit exists in the United States.
Perhaps it is time to reassess this policy.
