Sperm donor research
An urgent need for more donors and the need to know how to access donors are among the reasons a University of Adelaide research project is under way.
The research is being carried out by Dr Damien Riggs. He’s keen to hear from anyone – gay or straight – who has donated sperm, or plans to. And he wants to hear from men who entered into negotiations to act as a known donor, but decided against it.
Riggs told Adelaide gay and lesbian newspaper blaze the more he investigated the area, the more convinced he was that research was needed. Hardly any research had been undertaken, he said.
There were many issues involved, among them the shortage of donors, how to access donors, and why people became donors.
Riggs said donating sperm was often portrayed in a negative fashion in the media.
He wanted men to tell their stories and those he had already spoken to had very different stories to tell. Some simply wanted to pass on their biological genes, some wanted to become a dad, and others just thought it was a nice thing to do.
He hoped to encourage more men to get involved. He said the donor shortage in Australia was so acute that donors were being flown in from places like Canada.
Riggs said we wanted to talk to as many men as possible. The subject was very topical at present and he hoped to present his research mid-2008.
To volunteer email [email protected] or phone (080 8303 8143. Participants are paid $25.
