September 2018 – Article 1:
“Sleep well knowing you’ve chosen well.”
That’s not a mattress ad. It’s a proclamation atop the webpage for Atlanta-based Xytex, the country’s oldest commercial sperm bank company.
But don’t tell that to the 13 couples in the U. S., Canada and England who sued the firm between 2016 and 2017 alleging fraud, negligence, and false advertising. Some even claimed battery, arguing they had been inseminated with fraudulent sperm.
At least two of the cases were settled, while others were dismissed.
One case, involving a Peachtree City mother and her son, is still active. The boy, now a teenager, has demonstrated serious mental issues, including: threatening to throw himself down a flight of stairs, slashing a kitchen door with a knife, and thinking about killing his new stepbrother and then himself.
Athens Donor Not What He Claimed to be
The cases involve Donor #9623, an Athens resident who started his relationship with Xytex in 2000.
In his application, he claimed he is 6’4”, has blue eyes, excellent eye sight, and is extroverted, athletic and optimistic.
Unfortunately for the women and their children, Donor #9623 left out a few facts. Though he denied any history of mental illness, court records show he:
- Was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia with “significant grandiose illusions.”
- Was hospitalized twice in 1999, a year before he began donating his sperm.
- Went on disability due to his mental illness in 2002.
- Was suicidal 2004.
- Was convicted of burglarizing a home and served several months in jail in 2005.
Sperm Bank Does Not Verify Medical History
In 2005, five years after he started donating, the FDA required sperm banks to review a potential donor’s relevant medical records. Xytex claims it does that, but a disclaimer on its website states the company does not verify medical histories provided by donors.
What a shock! A for-profit baby mill doesn’t even live up to its own advertising proving that making money is their primary objective.
They were so confident, in fact, that the company claimed: “This guy—he’s the type you really strive to get.”
All told, Donor # 9623 maintained his relationship with Xytex for 14 years, fathering at least 36 children and earning $16,000.
Wendy Kramer, Director of the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR), told Time magazine, “This case highlights the lack of regulation and oversight in the sperm-donor industry.”
Kramer said all too often her organization “…counsels children of sperm donors who inherit undisclosed genetic disorders, discover their donor was dishonest about his medical history, or find that the sperm bank didn’t notify them about reported illnesses or amend their donor’s medical profile.”
Time said DSR claims that 84% of its sperm donors surveyed were never contacted for medical updates, and almost a quarter of them said they or close family members had health issues that would have been important to know about.
Sperm Banks Have Little Oversight and No Requirements
Aside from the FDA’s requirement for licensing and screening for communicable diseases and the Center for Disease Control’s requirement that sperm be quarantined for six months, there is very little oversight.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine–the industry’s watchdog and lobbyist–issues guidelines, but individual sperm banks aren’t required to follow them.
Some states have their own regulations, but Georgia has none.
In addition to the health and medical issues, there is a disturbing moral cloud hanging over the whole business.
Like other aspects of the fertility industry, sperm banks don’t recognize the Personhood of children at their earliest stages and treat babies like an off-the-shelf commodity, as do in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics which routinely create more embryos than will be used and destroy the rest.
Georgia Right to Life will examine the feasibility of pursing regulations to prevent this dangerous industry from causing more harm.
Sources: atlantamagazine.com; time.com; wsbtv.com.
By Wayne DuBois
Georgia Right to Life
Media Relations Advisor