Strictly Embargoed until
00:01 Monday 17 January 2011 - HFEA launches public consultation on
sperm and egg donation
The HFEA is today
launching a three-month public consultation about sperm and egg donation.
The consultation will focus on three main areas of policy:
* The level of compensation for donors
* The number of
families a donor can help to create
* Family donation
Prof Lisa Jardine, Chair of the HFEA said:
'The donation of sperm and eggs is a generous act and
donors have helped many thousands of people achieve their dream of
having a child. 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
whilst protecting those who are born as a result of donation.'
Compensation for donors
Payment for donation is not allowed by law. It does, however,
allow compensation for inconvenience, in addition to expenses and
loss of earnings. Our current policy is designed to ensure that
donors are not out of pocket by donating but that they do not gain
financially from it. We currently allow donors to be compensated
for expenses and loss of earning, but not for inconvenience.
Feedback from clinics, however, shows that not only do some
donors end up out of pocket, but the system is more complex than
it needs to be. We are therefore seeking views about whether
clinics should offer a lump sum, rather than reimbursing for
actual expenses.
Another question in the consultation is whether we should
introduce compensation for inconvenience, as some other European
countries do. This move may remove a barrier to donation, but we
have to be careful that it does not create a financial incentive
to donate. Other countries have different schemes in place. For
example, in Denmark, sperm donors receive 50-150 Euros (£45-£135)
for the examination, use of their time and travel expenses. In
Spain, egg donors are compensated 900 Euros (around £765) whereas
sperm donors are compensated 45 Euros (around £40) per valid
sample they produce. This is a blanket fee for loss of earnings,
expenses and inconvenience.
Another key question for the consultation is the issue of egg
sharing, where patients donate their eggs in return for a
reduction in the cost of their treatment.
The number of families a donor can help to create
We set a limit on the number of families one donor's
eggs or sperm can be used to help create. The current limit is ten
families. This limit minimises the possibility of two children
from the same donor having a relationship with each other without
knowing they are genetically related. It also addresses the
perceived needs of donor conceived people and their parents in
maintaining a relatively small number of siblings.
We are seeking views on what the family limit should be, to
ensure the right balance is struck between increasing the
availability of donated eggs and sperm and protecting the
interests of donors and donor-conceived people.
Family donation
Family donation includes many different types of donation
relationships, some more common than others. Donation between
sisters, cousins and brothers are the most common donation
relationship. But we have had reports of mother to daughter,
daughter to mother, father to son and son to father.
Receiving sperm or eggs from a family member is an attractive
option for some as it maintains a genetic link between the
recipient and any child born as a result. It can also avoid long
waiting lists at fertility clinics.
Donation of this kind can, however, raise some social and ethical
issues such as unusual genetic and social relationships. For
example, if a woman donates an egg to her sister she will be the
genetic mother and social aunt of any child born as a result.
There are a number of options for the regulation of family
donation including a ban on the mixing of sperm and eggs between
close genetic relatives (those who would otherwise be banned from
having sex with each other) or only ban the mixing of sperm and
eggs between genetic relatives.
We could also issue additional
best practice guidance to clinics or ask them to have a strategy
in place to handle cases of family donation.
How to participate
People can share their views through a series of questionnaires
on the consultation pages on our website. We will also be holding
a series of workshops with patients, donors, parents of
donor-conceived people, as well as those who are donor-conceived.
We will also be consulting with clinics.
We want to hear a wide range of views both from those directly
affected and those who are interested in the issues. The
consultation runs until April and decisions will be made at the
Authority meeting in July.
Ends
Notes to editors
* The consultation pages can be found at www.hfea.co.uk/donationreview
* The HFEA is the independent regulator for IVF treatment and
embryo research. Our role is to protect patients and the public
interest, to drive improvement in the treatment and research
sectors and to provide information to the public and policymakers
about treatment and research.
* The HFEA was set up in August
1991 as part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.
The HFEA's principal tasks are to license and monitor
clinics that carry out in vitro fertilisation (IVF), artificial
insemination (AI) and human embryo research. The HFEA also
regulates the storage of gametes (eggs and sperm) and embryos. See
www.hfea.gov.uk for
further details.
For further information please contact the HFEA press office on
020 7291 8226 or email press.office@hfea.gov.uk
Contacts:
NDS Enquiries
Phone: For enquiries please contact the issuing dept
ndsenquiries@coi.gsi.gov.uk
HFEA Press Office
Phone: 020 7291 8226
press.office@hfea.gov.uk