Donor Conception

Updated: May 27/10

Canada

Under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act, it is illegal to:
* pay, offer to pay, or advertise payment, for sperm or eggs. ‘Egg sharing', in which a donor has some/all of their treatment costs covered by donating some of their eggs/sperm/embryos, is considered a form of payment and is not allowed. However, a donor can be reimbursed for legitimate expenditures directly related to the act of donation, in accordance with regulations and a license, and upon providing a receipt for the expenditure.
• obtain, or use, any sperm/eggs from a donor under 18, except to preserve the sperm/eggs for the purpose of creating a child who will be raised by the donor.

Criminal penalty: A fine of up to $500,000 and up to 10 years in jail.

The Assisted Human Reproduction Act also requires that counselling services be made available prior to the procedure.
 

• Articles (in journals, newsletters)
• Articles, books & stories (by & about donor offspring, parents, donors & others)
• Birth certificate proposal (UK)
• Books (for adults & children)
• Blogs (by parents, offspring, donors & others)
• Canadian Donor Conception Coalition
• Counsellors
• Documentaries
• Donor Conceived Testing Services
• Egg donation
• Embryo donation/adoption
• Fact sheet (by the Infertility Network) *
• A Guide to the World of Donor Conception (By the Donor Sibling Registry)*
• Lawsuits
• Lawyers
• National Gamete Donation Trust (UK)
• News stories
• Registries (for donors, offspring & parents)
• Reports (from various conferences, professionals)
• Seminars & documentaries (on DVD, CD & tape)
• Single mothering by choice
• Sperm Banks
• Support groups (for parents, offspring & donors)
• Talking to children about donor conception

* PDF file. Requires Adobe Reader - download it free here.