THE BARREN MAN – A.I.D.
Neither the man nor his wife must have any idea who the donor is: they must never meet him knowing that he provided the semen. Nor may the donor have any idea who has received his semen.
The reason for the security is that confidentiality is essential as the child of the artificial insemination is the ‘natural’ child, in law, of the couple. It might be argued that by some chance the child might later have a child by its half-sister or half-brother and that this could lead to some genetic defect. This result is so unlikely (about a million to one chance of a genetic defect occurring) that it can be ignored. The couple need have no anxiety about this.
For legal protection both husband and wife must sign a document confirming that they understand and agree without coercion to the artificial insemination by the unknown donor. In some countries the legal status of a child produced by artificial insemination using a donor’s semen is unclear, but changes are occurring and A.I.D. has enabled a large and increasing number of infertile couples to enjoy raising a child of their own.
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