A flap in New Zealand over allowing gay men to be sperm donors has--naturally--raised many additional questions. I'm particularly interested in the genetic testing application.
If some people believe there's a gene for "gay", and insist that gay men be required to stipulate their gayness on sperm they donate to a sperm bank, should all donors be required to specify their genetic heritage? Is having a gene for a fatal disease worse than having a gene for being gay? What if an egg donor has the BRCA genes? Should that be disclosed?
Hmmmm. I've seen sperm donor catalogs, but haven't seen egg or embryo donor catalogs and don't know if they exist. But, arguing that a condition that could have a genetic component be disclosed in donating sperm, eggs, or embryos leads us down a terrible path toward eugenics. If that's a new word to you, check it out.
As always, your comments are welcome.
Marie Godfrey, PhD
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