Sperm donation: National Ethics Commission (NEK) recommends access also for same-sex couples and single women

Bern, 27.02.2020 – The law on reproductive medicine dates from the late 1990s. Since then, the techniques of reproductive medicine have developed considerably, and at the same time a significant change has taken place with regard to lifestyles and the image of the family. The
National Ethics Committee in the Field of Human Medicine (NEK) is of the opinion that
current sperm donation regulations do not take account of these developments and therefore
should be changed.

Sperm donation is a relatively simple, well tested and, compared to other reproductive techniques, which has been available in Switzerland since is used for decades. Since 2001, the procedure has been included in the Reproductive Medicine Act (FMedG) regulated. Since then, children conceived by means of sperm donation can obtain information from the age of majority on require the identity of the sperm donor.

From an ethical perspective, the current regulation of sperm donation raises a number of questions regarding equal treatment, discrimination, personal freedom and the right to information. Should
parents of choice can influence the choice of donor sperm? Which genetic tests should be performed on sperm donors? The access to sperm donors is also controversially discussed.
It is not uncommon for women to have treatment in foreign clinics or take sperm donations outside of a medical procedure (the so-called self- or home insemination).

In its ethical statement, the NEK concludes that the restrictive FMedG regulation does not do justice to the latest medical and social developments will. She recommends that newly same-sex couples and single women be given access to to grant sperm donation. She is of the opinion that directed sperm donation by relatives and other close persons should be allowed. From the perspective of the NEK also do not justify the legal limitation of the retention period for donor sperm and
should therefore be repealed. Whereas a person conceived by donor sperm today only after
age of 18 years can request information about their parentage data, recommends
the NEK to grant this right to minors who are already able to judge. The NEK demands
more transparency when it comes to the costs and compensation of donor sperm treatment, or
is about genetic testing on sperm donors. From the NEK’s point of view, it is ultimately
the hand to intensify research and data collection in the field of semen donation in order to improve practice and to better assess developments in this area.

Additional information:
P r Andrea Büchler, President of NEK (044 634 48 43, 079 916 60 70), P r Markus Zimmermann,
Vice-President of NEK (079 684 85 54), P r Samia Hurst, Member of NEK (022 379 46 00).

The statement can be found immediately at http://www.nek-cne.ch => Publications.

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)