The U.K. should allow posthumous sperm donation to strangers, ethicists argue

The U.K. should allow posthumous sperm donation to strangers, ethicists argue

Ethicists in a new paper argue that the U.K. ought to let men volunteer to posthumously donate their sperm to strangers. Some cases in recent years have sought posthumous sperm retrieval from loved ones, but the ethicists argue more broadly for sperm to be considered another human tissue that can be donated after death. The U.K. is facing a shortage of sperm donors, the authors argue, and the process could help meet a critical need in the same way as organ donation. Society often sees organ donation as altruistic, the ethicists write, adding that sperm donation could be viewed similarly, including by donors’ families. Still, there are outstanding questions, the authors say, including about who would pay for sperm retrieval and whether donors’ families could veto their loved one's decision.