Choosing a Known Donor — What is involved?
After you have made the stressful decision to use a known sperm donor, you want the course to go as simple as possible.
The most important thing for you to consider is what role the donor will play in the child’s life.
If you desire for the donor to be involved, legal and emotional limitations should be recognized. Who will be the legal parent of the child? Will you delegate traditional rights or support responsibilities to the donor? What steps will you take if the donor wishes to have a relationship with the child?
Commitment: Will the donor offer additional option if you are interested in having another child? You should clarify key issues, including who will recompense for testing, treatment expenditures and any financial commitments.
Required Testing for Sperm Donors
If you are using a known sperm donor it is momentous for you to request that the donor is tested for sexual diseases, blood levels, and genetic irregularities. The donor should also identify family medical history and exposure to disease. A semen analysis also indicates the quality of the sperm.
To be tremendously in-depth and secure within your decision, the stringent donor screening standards used by major sperm banks can be used to lead you in your evaluation. See our Interviews and Applications.
Sperm Donation Contracts and Agreements
After you have established firm expectations and similar goals you will meet with an attorney to draw up a collaborative agreement that will stipulate your parental privileges and any other pieces of your relationship with the donor. You will want to select a lawyer with experience with collaborative reproduction.
The key element of this is becoming very familiar with your state’s laws on donor parental privileges, in which an attorney can assist you with. Also see Surrogacy Laws for more information.
In using a known donor, it may feel awkward to draw up an agreement; but keep in mind relations and circumstances don’t always go as planned. Change can be unforeseen. Open and honest communication in the beginning of the agreement will build the foundation for a positive relationship down the road.