A woman from Alberta, Canada was recently told by a fertility clinic that she is only allowed to use sperm from donors of her own race. The 38-year-old white woman — whose name was withheld — was “floored” when the policy was revealed to her by the Regional Fertility Program in Calgary. “I’m not sure that we should be creating rainbow families just because some single woman decides that that’s what she wants,” said Dr. Calvin Greene, administrative director at the clinic. “That’s her prerogative, but that’s not her prerogative in our clinic.”
The policy was implemented by the clinic back in the 80s. It clearly needs to be updated.
Via the clinic’s website, the policy reads:
Given that the health and well-being of children born through the application of assisted human reproductive technologies must be given priority in all decisions … it is the practice of the Regional Fertility Program not to permit the use of a sperm donor that would result in a future child appearing racially different than the recipient or the recipient’s partner.
