Can the EU establish common rules to limit sperm and egg donation?
Births conceived through sperm donation are on the rise in Europe, but recent controversies involving so-called "super donors" have prompted several EU countries to call for clear regulation and international limits on sperm and egg donations.
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00:00Donor-conceived births are on the rise in Europe, and it's a cross-border business.
00:19Experts say it's because people want children when they're older, without a partner, and in same-sex couples.
00:26But recent controversies surrounding so-called super-donors have led some EU countries to call for common rules.
00:34We look at the medical and ethical challenges in this episode of EU Decoded.
00:39Each EU country sets a maximum number of children born from a single donor.
00:45This can range from 1 in Cyprus to 15 in Germany.
00:50Some member states prefer to limit the number of families that can use the same donor.
00:55Sweden and Belgium limit this to 6, but Denmark allows up to 12 families.
01:02There is no limit for international donations, however.
01:05There are commercial cryobanks that set voluntary limits, but as many as 75 children have been conceived by the same donor.
01:12These super-donors increase the risk of unwitting incest and the spread of genetic abnormalities.
01:20There is also concern about the psychological harm to children who could find out later in life that they have dozens of half-siblings.
01:29We asked Europeans if they shared these concerns.
01:32But it's good to know who the person is, because they don't know what the other person brings.
01:38Charakterzüge, mental things, everything.
01:41For me, this is an ethical question.
01:44What do people do with their land?
01:46Actually, they should leave their life.
01:50And so I personally think that this is a art of medicine, but it's nothing that I advise.
02:01I think that, like all of the important aspects, it will be regulated in the best way possible, in a clear way.
02:09I think that this is something that should be more regulated, and that there is more information, especially in schools, since in Italy, there is no point of talking about this.
02:19Euronews' reporter Amandine Hess is here with me now to help us delve deeper into this issue.
02:25Amandine, we've had reports recently of some very controversial cases of sperm donors, particularly in Europe.
02:33Tell us more about some of these cases.
02:35Well, a few weeks ago, it has been reported that a Danish donor who was unknowingly carrying a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of cancer
02:43had helped conceive at least 67 children in Europe, and 10 of them have been diagnosed with cancer.
02:50And then there is the issue of super donors, who help conceive dozens or even hundreds of children.
02:56And it raises concerns because it increases the risk of consanguineous relationships among donor-conceived individuals.
03:03And finally, 50% of egg donation treatments take place in Spain because it has more liberal assisted reproduction laws.
03:12So patients travel there for treatments, but there are some questions on the ethical implication of commercialized egg donation.
03:20There's also the question of anonymity of these donors.
03:23Tell us what the situation is on that across the European Union, and what are some of the ethical questions that arise from this?
03:30For instance, sperm donation is anonymous in Italy, but it's not the case in the Netherlands.
03:35And in some countries, such as Austria, it's semi-anonymous, which means that sperm donation is anonymous only between the donor and the recipients.
03:43Now, because of DNA testing and social media, donors' anonymity can no longer be 100% guaranteed.
03:52So it's more and more common that children can get in touch with their half-siblings or their donor,
03:57and can be challenging for them, but also for their families.
04:01Finally, we know that there's an increasing concern among many EU countries, and that they're trying to propose solutions to this.
04:10What are some of the options on the table right now?
04:12Some member states limit the number of children per donor.
04:17Others prefer to limit the number of families per donor to allow them to have biological siblings,
04:22but there is no international limitations.
04:26So some commercialized sperm banks have their own voluntary limits, such as 75 families per donor, but others have not.
04:34So it's not uncommon that some children have more than 100 half-siblings.
04:39So this is the kind of situation that this proposal would prevent.
04:43The human body and its parts cannot generate financial profit, according to the Orbeido Convention.
04:49Commercial cryobanks earn revenues based on services related to the handling, freezing, and storage of sperm and eggs,
04:57as well as through tests to screen potential donors.
05:01Some companies have online catalogs that disclose basic donor details, such as ethnicity, eye and hair color, height, weight, and occupation.
05:11Clients can pay a higher fee to access more complete profiles.
05:15Our invitation is Elena Nevado del Campo,
05:19eurodiputada of the EU and member of the European Commission of Health.
05:24What point can the institutions of the European Union establish a cup of for these donations,
05:31since the health is, above all, a question of national jurisdiction?
05:35Tenemos un reglamento que se aprobó recientemente, en el 2024, sobre normas de calidad y seguridad de sustancias de origen humano
05:47destinadas a la aplicación precisamente en el ser humano.
05:51Y ese reglamento, que es de obligado cumplimiento para todos los Estados miembros,
