30 August 2012

A wife’s consent to donate sperm?




A British woman is campaigning for the legal right to veto her husband’s choice to donate sperm, it has emerged.

The unidentified complainant says her partner volunteered samples of his semen to a registered clinic after becoming stressed by the birth of their child, reported MailOnline.

Disgruntled, the mother-of-one from Surrey has contacted the Human Fertilisation And Embryology Authority, arguing that women across the UK should be able to deny their spouse’s free will on the matter – because sperm is a ‘marital asset’.

If your interested in further reading

http://www.avoiceformen.com/men/mens-issues/a-wifes-consent-to-donate-sperm/

7 comments:

  1. I would have thought that this was an issue that a married couple should discuss... but I dont personally believe that this woman is correct in her way of thinking.

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  2. well now let's put the shoe on the other foot......should a woman have free will to be a surrogate mother using artificial insemination, and not get hubby's approval?

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  3. Hi Ladycallie

    In a perfect world, I suppose the wife and husband would discuss their points of view.. and eventually, together they would reach a conclusion that they were both able to compromise on.

    Personally, I think there is alot more to consider when pondering on surragacy than donating sperm.

    1) The expenses (doctors fees, tests etc would have to be contractually agreed on by all memebers concerned) and being aware that the surrogate mother could be landed with them if the agreement was not upheld. Costly to chase through the legal system.

    2) The Health of the surrogate Mother during pregnancy and Child birth.

    3 What would happen if either parties defaulted... leaving either the surrogate mum wanting to keep the child... or the surrogate mum left with a baby other parties no longer wish to claim.

    4) Lost wages, perhaps.

    Legally, should anyone have legal claim over another's body?

    Thanks for your input, its an intersting point to discuss.

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  4. Yikes! This is a bad situation! In both cases, in theory, on should have control of their own body and bodily assets, but yes indeed this is something that must be discussed and agreed upon my the spouses. A marriage is like a business contract, with two equal partners. We enter that agreement based on love and trust. During our marriage, my former wife should be perfectly justified in being upset should I donate sperm. Hell ... she might be upset if I satisfied myself in the loo with Playboy magazine! If she was a surrogate, I might rightly be upset for the loss of her "services" during pregnancy. Just like the abortion issue, and right to choose what happens to one's own body, this has many collateral issues and effects. In the end, I have a feeling that legally the man has the right to do as he wishes with his bodily produce .... but in the long run, is it worth it?

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  5. It sounds to me like the man has issues that donating sperm will not solve for him. It would be nice for he and his wife to agree on the matter, but I am inclined to agree with his freedom to donate even if she disagrees. I don't consider sperm a marital asset. You can't ask for rights to future sperm in a divorce settlement the way you can future income.

    I'm not sure a woman can donate her eggs the same way a man can donate his sperm. It is a lot more difficult to get a fertilized egg from one woman to implant in another. I imagine it's been done, but it can't be easy, and the success rate must be poor. Sperm, on the other hand, is always a foreign body so it's no different for the sperm whose egg it fertilizes. The woman (most likely) can only be a surrogate, as has already been mentioned, which is another story. Not that I think a woman should be prevented from being a surrogate against her husband's wishes, but if she does, the husband should have the right to disavow the expenses and whatever else is involved with bringing the fetus to term.

    All of this seems to be driving people apart in the interests of putting personal freedoms over and above all else, which isn't such a great idea either, in my opinion. Better to talk about it and reach an agreement before hand.

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  6. It is his sperm ,his body .end of story .......to bad it is not that simple

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