Sperm and egg donation, however, come with controversy, and the latest one involves a California man giving his sperm away for free.
The media has dubbed 36-year-old Trend Arsenault as "the DIY sperm donor", and for the past five years, he's helped infertile couples have babies...14 to be exact, and there's 4 more currently on the way.
While this may seem like a wonderful, compassionate thing for a person to do for other families, the FDA isn't happy at all. This is because Arsenault is operating this free service out of his home, and doesn't undergo recommended sperm and blood testing before each donation.
Experts believe that by choosing a private donor, you could be putting yourself and your potential child at risk. Important health and safety regulations that most sperm banks apply simply aren't present in a private, individual setting, which has caused a lot of worry within the infertility community.
Dr. Lynn Westphal, a reproductive endocrinologist at Stanford told the SF Gate, “I know people will get their friends and just use the turkey baster or whatever. Clearly that happens, but there are reasons for these FDA regulations. It’s safer to have the sperm tested.”
Arsenault is waiting to see if the FDA is going to schedule a hearing regarding his $100,000 fine or 1 year federal prison sentence for his "unauthorized" sperm donation, and he and his law team are not going down without a fight.
He told the San Francisco Gate, “What the FDA is doing infringes on reproductive rights. The government is reaching into the bedroom. There’s no precedence for my case. Whatever happens to me kind of sets the future up for all the other people in these situations – the couples plus the donors.”
Who's right? Arsenault or the FDA?
To learn more, read the full article: The DIY Sperm Donor - Hero or Criminal?
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