Virginia’s not for donors
At least not anonymous ones. Lawmakers in the state are considering legislation that would ban anonymous sperm and egg donations, and that could raise prices for families trying to conceive. Eric Niiler explains.
TEXT OF STORY
SCOTT JAGOW: In every state in the country, people who donate their sperm or their eggs can remain anonymous. But Virginia is considering a bill that would make those people reveal their identities. Eric Niiler tells us what’s happened in other countries that’ve done this.
ERIC NIILER: Canada, Australia and the U.K. have already banned the practice.
Fertility clinics there have seen a big drop in donors and a big rise in fees to prospective parents as a result.
Sean Tipton of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine says many sperm donors value privacy most of all.
SEAN TIPTON: Currently, sperm donors do get compensated, a little bit, but it’s not clear that large amounts of money would induce people to donate if they could not be anonymous.
At one Virginia clinic, only 10 percent of donors have agreed to reveal their identities.
The bill’s sponsor says he wants to protect donor-conceived children who may later become curious about their origin.
In Washington, I’m Eric Niiler for Marketplace.