UK fertility watchdog asks public about paying donors

The UK's fertility watchdog, the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority
(HFEA), has launched a public consultation on how sperm and
egg donation should be regulated.

The HFEA is seeking views from the public on whether donors - who are short
in supply - should be compensated for the time and inconvenience involved in
the process of donation and, if so, to what extent. The
consultation also asks respondents for their views on intra-familial donation.

Professor Lisa Jardine, chair of the HFEA, said: 'We know that many people
are facing long waiting lists at clinics because of a shortage of donors. We
want to ensure that we have the best policies in place so that there are no
unnecessary barriers in the way of those wishing to donate while protecting
those who are born as a result of donation'.

She also added that 'the increasing openness about the children it produces
meant that the whole of society ought to be involved in deciding what was
acceptable'.

Demand for fertility treatment is increasing with currently up to 1 in
7 couples in the UK experiencing fertility problems but there is a shortage
of sperm and egg donors. Even though only about 12 percent of fertility
treatments involve donated eggs or sperm, the HFEA believes this may rise if
there were sufficient numbers of donors to fill demand.

Presently, the HFEA allows compensation for expenses and loss of earnings up
to £250 per course or cycle of donation, but not for 'inconvenience' as some
other countries do. In Spain, for example, egg donors receive around £765 and
sperm donors £40 per sample.

Some campaign organisations have expressed concerns that women's bodies are
being turned into 'commodities'. Dr David King, director of Human Genetics
Alert, said: 'This is a step towards a market in organs, with all the
exploitation that entails'. Dr Alex Plows, of the group No2Eggsploitation, said
any plan to allow financial compensation for egg donors may 'induce students
with debts, and others, to take serious health risks and it is inevitable that
many will be harmed'.

The HFEA consultation is also looking at the number of families that may
result from the use sperm from a single donor. At the moment, the number is
limited to ten - designed to minimise the chances of resulting children
unknowingly engaging in incestuous relationships - but Professor Jardine said
in practice the limit often results in only two or three families using the
sperm.

The consultation ('Donating sperm and eggs: have your say
') is
being carried out on the HFEA website and is open until 8 April 2011. The
findings will be presented to the HFEA board in July, where any decisions on
changes in policy will be outlined.