Sperm donation is one of the oldest forms of third-party reproduction. Despite it’s lengthy history, sperm donation still presents some of the most common hurdles and pitfalls that risk the parties understanding of the arrangement not being enforced.
We are here to help you understand the law as it pertains to sperm donation and your situation. We will help you understand your options to protect both the donor, the recipients, and the future child.
Sperm Donation Agreements
A legal agreement between the parties is needed when entering into a known sperm donor arrangement (in contrast to purchasing donated sperm from a sperm bank or clinic). This agreement will clarify the essential understandings of the parties, including the understanding that the recipients will have all parental rights to any child resulting from the donation, and the donor will not have any financial responsibilities or obligations to any child resulting from the obligation. The sperm donation agreement may also address:
method, timing, and logistics of donation
disposition of any remaining cryopreserved samples
confidentiality and disclosures
understanding as to future communication, both with parties and as to children
handling of related costs and expenses, including those for testing, transportation, storage, and legal
Sperm Donor Representation
We are honored to assist those giving the tremendous gift of helping others experience parenthood. Sperm donation has changed over the years from a purely anonymous model, to an understanding that with improved technologies, such as direct-to-consumer DNA testing, most sperm donors will be known to their offspring. Also more is known now about the impact the donation has on the offspring. We are here to help protect you as you enter into this generous arrangement, and to also help you understand and be fully-informed as to the future ramifications for you, your family, the donor-conceived children, and others.
Sperm Recipient Representation
We are experienced and skilled in assisting the recipients to a sperm donation arrangement with understanding and mitigating related risk and growing families from a strong foundation. Many of our sperm donation recipient clients also look to us for LGBTQ+ family protection.
The firm is not able to represent both the sperm donation recipient(s) and the sperm donor in the same sperm donation agreement. Independent counsel for all parties is an important element of the arrangement. We are always happy to recommend other attorneys skilled in this area who can provide professional representation to the other party.