Australian state orders sperm bank purge over mix-ups

In the Australian state of Queensland, a significant issue has arisen concerning frozen sperm samples. An audit conducted by the health watchdog revealed that nearly half of the fertility samples were at risk of being misidentified. This is a serious concern as it can deprive parents and donor-conceived children of crucial genetic information and medical records, and it also poses a risk of accidental incest. Queensland is home to one of Australia's largest IVF industries, but it is self-regulated and has come under scrutiny due to claims of malpractice by some of its major providers. The clean-out of these samples is exacerbating a national shortage of donated sperm, which has been driven by high demand, stricter regulations, and disruptions caused by the pandemic. Government data shows that one in six Australian couples face difficulties in starting a family, with many increasingly relying on donors to conceive. An inquiry into the multi-million-dollar fertility sector in Queensland by the state's health ombudsman found systemic issues related to quality and safety, as well as safeguards for consumers, donors, and donor-conceived children. The report highlighted that 42% of sperm donations, egg samples, and embryos in Queensland had identification and traceability issues. This means that clinics had lost track of or incorrectly labeled samples, or allowed them to deteriorate below laboratory standards. The report also included allegations from patients who accused IVF providers of failing to disclose donors' medical conditions, misidentifying eggs and embryos, and mixing up sperm. One family claimed that these errors resulted in them parenting children from different biological fathers. The ombudsman recommended that all fertility providers destroy stored donor material that does not meet current identification standards. The report emphasized that the impact on consumers and donor-conceived children cannot be underestimated, and that appropriate counseling should be offered by fertility providers. It is unclear how many sperm samples will be destroyed, but the ombudsman deemed thousands of samples frozen before 2020 as high risk because they did not comply with double witnessing, a practice where two IVF professionals check that a patient's material has been labeled correctly. Anastasia Gunn, a mother who is suing one of Queensland's fertility providers for allegedly providing her with the wrong sperm in 2014, told the Guardian Australia that she was horrified but not surprised by the ombudsman's findings. She expressed concern about how many patients may have unknowingly conceived with the wrong sperm and questioned why clinics were not double-checking when they were creating human lives. She added that the effects of these errors could last for generations.