January 21, 2006

  • Gay sperm donors turned down

    The Ministry of Health says it will be happy to review the issue of gay men being rejected as sperm donors if it is asked to by the Human Rights Commission.


    A Wellington man says he felt humiliated last week after he was told he could not become a donor because of his sexual orientation.


    He says the experience left him feeling like a second-class citizen.


    The Human Rights Commission says the man was refused on the basis of his sexual orientation, which is one of the grounds for complaint, set out in the Human Rights Act.


    The ministry's deputy director general for clinical services, Dr Colin Feek, says many people are not able to donate sperm or blood, not just gay men.


    New Zealand sperm banks are bound by regulations issued by an Australian Committee which controls accreditation in both countries, and prohibits gay donors.





    Source: RNZ