The new study says that sperm donation after death is possible — and even the right thing to do.
The January 20 study in the Journal of Medical Ethics raises similarities to organ donation, which allows people to donate life-saving tissue to those in need of transplants. “If it is morally acceptable that individuals can donate their tissues to relieve the suffering of others in ‘life-enhancing transplants’ for diseases,” wrote the study authors, “we see no reason this cannot be extended to other forms of suffering like infertility, which may or may not also be considered a disease.
Postmortem sperm can be collected after death through surgery or electroejaculation, a procedure that delivers electric shocks to the prostate and stimulates ejaculation. Collected sperm would be cryopreserved in fertility clinics and thawed when ready for use. Study co-author Joshua Parker, an education fellow in ethics and law at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, England, tells Yahoo Lifestyle: “We’re suggesting that men could voluntarily donate their sperm to fertility clinics to alleviate pain for those suffering from infertility.
Standards for postmortem sperm donations should equal those applied to living donations, says Parker, with quality of sperm being a high priority. “However, that speaks to the quality of consent,” he adds. “Men would need to be aware of the possibility that their donations may not result in a pregnancy after they die.”
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