A Massachusetts mother of twin girls is suing to learn the identity of her sperm donor, claiming her children have “potentially fatal health issues,” the Boston Herald reported.
“I would like the Massachusetts court to recognize that donor-conceived children are as much real people with the same fundamental needs as any other children, and that their interests should be regarded as just as important,” the woman called Jane Doe said in the statement.
Doe, 35, said she was artificially inseminated with the sperm of a medical student named "D237" in 2000.
She got the sperm from the New England Cryogenic Center in Newton, Mass., and she said she was assured her children would have contact with the donor – a prerequisite she had when choosing which sperm bank she used.
Doe, while suffering from depression, briefly placed the twins with a foster family that was “capable of addressing their medical needs,” she told the newspaper.
But state law does not classify a sperm donor’s duties, and the sperm bank’s lawyer said that D237 never agreed to be recognized.
A family court denied Doe’s first request, so she turned to the Appellate Court. The appellate justices said they first would like to confirm D237’s paternity to see if the children inherited a growth disorder (among other health problems) from him.
Click here to read more about this story from the Boston Herald.
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