A lack of regulation at Queensland's fertility clinics may have led to a donor fathering hundreds of children, sparking incest fears. or signup to continue reading An investigation into the state's assisted reproductive technology providers has also revealed claims of a couple receiving the wrong sperm. Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said on Wednesday she was shocked by the Office of the Health Ombudsman's damning findings.
Ms Fentiman had requested the investigation following more than 200 complaints. It sparked the introduction of new legislation currently before parliament to regulate providers and establish a donor conception information register. "We need to make sure that our laws keep up with technology," Ms Fentiman told reporters.
Health ombudsman Dr Lynne Coulson Barr said in the report the probe had unearthed "significant systemic issues" in providers' practices. It also identified "gaps and risks" in the current self-regulatory regime in Queensland. A key finding was the substandard record keeping of the number of sperm donations from a single man, with fears he may have fathered hundreds of children.
In one case, a woman reported the sperm donor she used had donated on more than 200 occasions at the same clinic, raising concerns about how many siblings her child may unknowingly have. When investigating a number of clinics, the probe was unable to establish the number of families created or how many siblings a child may have from the same donor. It said the exce.