Sperm sharing: as problematic as oocyte sharing?

Abstract

Abstract Sperm sharing has recently been introduced in a number of clinics in the UK. In all gamete sharing schemes, two goals can be distinguished: increasing the donor pool and enabling less affluent patients to access IVF treatment. This article compares sperm sharing with oocyte sharing in order to determine whether the differences and similarities affect the moral acceptability of the practice. It then compares sperm sharers with regular sperm donors and notices that sperm sharers seem to have fewer rights than regular sperm donors. The next step is to look at the alternatives to reach the two goals of sharing schemes. Regarding the first goal of increasing the donor pool, there are alternative procedures that are minimally coercive and where less affluent people are not targeted. Regarding the goal of increasing access to IVF treatment, clinics could propose cheaper IVF protocols to less affluent people or offer the IVF cycle at reduced prices. I conclude that the ethical problems caused by sharing schemes that offer financial benefits in return for oocytes or sperm can be avoided by using alternatives.