The disparity in sperm donor law in Europe is being called into question as it is said that Danish sperm donors with hereditary cancer mutations helped them conceive at least 67 children across Europe, primarily in Belgium.
The European Sperm Bank (ESB) is said to have used gametes from a Danish donor who carried rare variations of the TP53 gene, which increases the risk of early cancer.
Of the 67 children he helped imagine, 23 of them were careers in variants, of which 10 developed cancer.
The incident was revealed at the meeting of the European Human Genetics Association in Milan at the end of May by Dr. Edwige Casper, a biologist at Luen University Hospital.
“This is a syndrome called Li-fraumeni syndrome, which causes multiple cancers with a very broad spectrum, so children who are carriers of this variant need to be monitored very closely.”
Of the 10 children who developed cancer, doctors count four hemopathies, four brain tumors, and two types of sarcoma that affect muscles.
The incident underscores the shortcomings of European-wide sperm donation policy.
Most European countries limit the number of father children by a single donor, or the number of families that a single donor can help, but there are no restrictions at the international or European level.
The conditions for anonymity vary from country to country.
“We are an abnormal spread of genetic pathology as the sperm bank involved in this case set a 75 family limit from donors. Other sperm banks have not set a limit,” explained Casper.
Donors are eligible for medical checkups and genetic testing, but “there is no full pre-selection,” explained Ayo Wahlberg, a researcher and member of the Danish Council of Ethics.
“Technology is developing very quickly. Because genetic testing technology and its costs are decreasing so quickly, a lot has changed when comparing recruitment 10 or 15 years ago and today with the types of genetic testing that can be performed as part of the screening process,” the professor explained.
National restrictions
Rules governing sperm donations vary from European countries to other countries. The maximum number of children from a single donor varies from 15 in Germany to 1 in Cyprus.
Other countries prefer to limit the number of families that can use the same donor to give them the opportunity to have siblings. For example, the same donor can support 12 families in Denmark and six families in Sweden or Belgium.
Furthermore, donations will be anonymous in countries such as France and Greece.
In other member states, such as Austria, those born from gamete donations may have access to their parental identity.
In Germany and Bulgaria, donations may or may not be anonymous depending on the situation.
In the Netherlands, the process is not anonymous.
European Framework
The National Council of Medical Ethics in Danish, Swedish, Finnish and Norwegian raises concerns about the lack of regulation at the international and European level, claiming it increases the risk of genetic diseases and kinship spread.
“Genetic diseases spread far more widely (in many offspring) unconsciously than if (in small numbers) were present,” Wahlberg said.
“The first step is therefore to establish or introduce family restrictions per donor. The second step is to create a national register. And the third step is to have a European register based on the national register, of course.”
In the age of social media and in-depth DNA testing, donor anonymity can no longer be 100% guaranteed, and some argue that people can postpone their donations.
When asked whether the introduction of regulations could lead to a lack of sperm donation, Söder said the solution was not a lack of restrictions, but encouraged people to give instead.
