UK Regulatory Probes Sperm Bank for Banning Dyslexic Donors

Donating sperm for developing babies using Invitro Fertilization (IVF) has become a trend in the developed countries. But a recent move to ban dyslexic donors by a sperm bank in London has raised speculations among the people. The largest Sperm Bank in Britain has banned people with neurological diseases to donate sperm for assisted reproductive technologies. This action has been taken in a motive to minimize the risk of transmitting common genetic diseases or malformations to any children born.

It has released a leaflet to donors comprising a list of conditions the clinic screens for, including: attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism, Asperger syndrome, dyslexia and the motor disorder dyspraxia.

The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has now conducted a probe to review this ban and the practices by the sperm bank.

The authority said, "The HFEA has never required or endorsed prohibiting people with dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD and other disorders from becoming sperm donors. The clinic’s HFEA inspector is clarifying our requirements for selecting donors with the center, and is reviewing all the exemptions cited in the center’s materials, to ensure that all future donors are treated fairly and in accordance with the law."

Many experts speculate whether dyslexia should be regarded as a disability as it tends to be an advantage for affected people due to its mental attributes such as lateral thinking, spatial reasoning and pattern recognition.

Source-Medindia