Posted
In France, 300 sperm donations are made each year. Insufficient quantity to meet demand. The law on the lifting of anonymity should deter volunteers. As a result, waiting times are getting longer.
In the Paris region, Arnaud Gompertz is the happy father of two children… at least. Because he’s a former sperm donor. Since the summer of 2021, the law has changed, establishing a lifting of anonymity. Under these conditions, he would never have agreed to give. “I donate cells. Like I would donate my liver if I got hit by a car. I am not the parent of these children.”, believes this former donor.
This change in the law raises fears of a drop in the number of donations. At the CECOS center (Center for the Study and Conservation of Human Eggs and Sperm) in Brest, Finistère, the candidates are not jostling. Barely 10 donors last year, only 317 across France. It is insufficient to meet demand. Couples who request a donor sometimes have to wait two years for a first insemination. “If we had more donors we could reduce this waiting time”, says Hortense Drapier, biologist at CECOS in Brest. Reduce waiting times for couples “who have had the desire to become pregnant for two or three years before arriving at CECOS”.