HF02-08 FERTILITY FRAUD: INSEMINATION WITH THE DOCTOR′S SPERM IN THE EARLY DAYS OF IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology Forum II (HF02)1 Sep 2021HF02-08 FERTILITY FRAUD: INSEMINATION WITH THE DOCTOR′S SPERM IN THE EARLY DAYS OF IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION Mariela Martinez, Jacob Khurgin, and Ariel Schulman Mariela MartinezMariela Martinez More articles by this author , Jacob KhurginJacob Khurgin More articles by this author , and Ariel SchulmanAriel Schulman More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001993.08AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: In December 1981, Elizabeth Jordan Carr was the first baby born by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in the United States. The following decade, was marked by rapid scientific advances and clinical demand. Procurement of donor sperm was costly and logistically challenging. A number of fertility doctors used their own sperm to inseminate patient eggs, without disclosure to the families. Here we review the history ‘Fertility Fraud’ in the United States. METHODS: A review of medical, legal, and ethical publications was performed to identify relevant historical information about fertility fraud. RESULTS: Advances in assisted-reproductive technologies began in the late 1800’s and evolved through the 20th century. In the 1970s and 80s, societal acceptance and scientific breakthroughs made IVF widely available but there were barriers to the practice. There were no large sperm banks, sperm donations were anonymous and fertility doctors would often chose sperm donors themselves (often medical students). This was largely unregulated due to the novelty of IVF. In recent years, commercial DNA testing and genealogy tracking by IVF-offspring has revealed that many babies in the 1980’s were conceived with the sperm of the fertility doctor. Some have surmised this was done to increase pregnancies since fresh sperm had higher success rates than frozen sperm and it was cheaper and more convenient than using donor sperm. However, historians and medical ethicists have largely reviewed the practice as immoral and unacceptable. The exact motivations of the physicians remains unclear. To date, fertility fraud has been discovered in at least 12 states. High profile cases in Idaho and Indiana brought about legislation criminalizing insemination without the consent of both the donor and recipient. In 2019, Indiana became the first state to legislate the activity and multiple other states have passed similar laws or have bills moving through the approval process. CONCLUSIONS: IVF is one of the great advances of contemporary medicine, but early clinical use included a practice that today is considered both unethical and illegal. The implications and long term effects on parents and their donor conceived children are yet to be fully understood. As DNA technologies become more widely used, more cases of fertility fraud may be uncovered and further legislation will likely be developed in North America. Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e239-e240 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Mariela Martinez More articles by this author Jacob Khurgin More articles by this author Ariel Schulman More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...