There are some ethical issues concerning sperm donation, but it seems that the legal and financial aspects of donating sperm will likely become the major issues in the future.

Legislation concerning sperm donation can vary between different countries, and sperm can be imported and exported between different countries. There are moves in different countries to have the male sperm donor identified, so that he can become known to the child. This means that the male sperm donor is now recognised as a father, and latter there could be moves to have him eligible for child support payments, and he could be eligible to pay child support payments to many children in different countries.

A male would have to be paid enormous amounts of money to donate sperm.

I think that we should just relax and let it all hang out. Nobody can forsee the consquences of these new technologies so we should relax our laws and observe what happens. Once we are familiar with the outcomes, then we can have some good policy. But until then lets see where this crazy journey of technology takes us.

Penikiko,
The future of sperm donation may be short lived in the US, with the results of a court case where a sperm donor has been ordered to pay child support for twins.

From “Sperm donor fights order to support 2 children” at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05140/507736.stm

“Through in-vitro fertilization, she bore twins and raised them alone for five years. Then she sued McKiernan for child support in Dauphin County.

"There is a lot of fear surrounding this court case because if the court extends this beyond support, to rights and obligations, then I think it will create a serious chilling effect," said Lawrence Kalikow, a Bucks County lawyer who is an expert in surrogacy, sperm and egg donation cases.”

The sperm donor in this case has been ordered to pay $1,500 per month in child support for the twins, but since the twins were born, he has become married and has two children of his own.

I don't regard anything that happens in America democratic or fair. Australia being only slightly better. A very interesting case legally, but America with its legal culture is full of bizarre things like that, this being only the tip of the iceberg.

It is worrying, but the solution to it is that all sperm donors require anyone who buys their sperm sign a disclaimer. Or the company would do it on their behalf to maintain annoymity. In that way any child support a father may be required to pay will be recpaimed through a lawsuit against the company. In short read the fin print twice.

The Emotional Response

Although men have a different way of showing their emotions over male infertility, the impact of the diagnosis can be huge for men who have mapped out plans for a future with children. "The same issues that confront women are present for men, and both sexes cope with having taken parenthood for granted," says Petok. "The failure of their procreative body functions is often devastating for men, especially since they are so closely linked with sexuality. Men may consider it an assault on their masculinity if they are the cause for the failure to conceive."

Those men who had longed for a son to carry on the family name are confronted with feelings of great loss. "Infertility can mean not only the inability to pass along the family name but also the family genes," says Petok. "One result may be a man's retreat into silence about his infertility. This might be a gender-specific response to stress, not necessarily a lack of feeling about the situation."

It is not uncommon for men to suffer from feelings of guilt in response to a diagnosis of male infertility. Men often wonder if their wives think less of them; they question their masculinity and are even embarrassed by their medical problem.

Just thought I would give you some emotional impact on issues men face due to infertility.