Internet sperm agency announces its first birth

Dr Kirsty Horsey

Progress Educational Trust

22 August 2003

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[BioNews, London] The London-based 'ManNotIncluded' website has announced its first baby success this week. A baby boy was born to a married couple in the UK as a result of sperm obtained via the web-based 'introduction agency', which acts as a go-between for couples or individuals wishing to obtain fresh sperm for home self-insemination.

The ManNotIncluded agency is outside the aegis of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) as regulations apply to donated or frozen sperm, but not fresh sperm. Suzi Leather, chair of the HFEA, said 'The HFEA cannot guarantee good laboratory practice and safe testing of donated sperm from unlicensed donation services. Women wishing to use donated sperm are advised to do so through an HFEA licensed clinic, where donated sperm is thoroughly tested'. The HFEA requires sperm donations to be quarantined for up to 180 days for testing. Some infections such as HIV may take up to three months to incubate, meaning that an HIV test at the time of the donation may not detect the virus even though the donor might be carrying it.

Donors whose sperm is obtained through HFEA licensed clinics are not the legal parents of any resulting offspring, under UK law. However, the legal position on the parentage of children born via sperm donated outside of HFEA license is unclear. John Gonzalez, founder of ManNotIncluded, said 'We are delighted at the fantastic news that the first baby has been born as a direct result of using our groundbreaking service'.

Reproduced with permission from BioNews, an email and online sources of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and genetics.