Growing numbers of wives of British soldiers are requesting to have their husbands' sperm frozen before they are deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq so they can still have children if their loved ones are killed in action.
A British fertility clinic has revealed it is dealing with a "significant" number of queries. In the US, at least four children have been conceived after their fathers died in Iraq.
Tim Mott, a spokesman for the Bridge Center fertility clinic in London, said: "We had expected interest to stem from soldiers rather than their partners, but what has been most surprising is that most inquiries have come from wives and girlfriends who want to have children should anything happen."
One e-mail received by the clinic last week said: "My husband and I are both in the armed forces. He is about to deploy on operations and I want information on the right to my husband's sperm, in case the worse happens and I want to have his children."
Mott said the center had expected questions from service families about a loss of fertility following serious injuries. Instead, most of those who have made contact are having sperm frozen in case the future father does not return from duty.
The Bridge Clinic is offering soldiers £300 (US$588) half-price rates for counseling, collection and storage of four sperm samples for one year.
Subsidized egg freezing is also being promoted, although the take-up is low due to the small proportion of women in the services. Mott said the decision to offer a deal to soldiers was made after learning the salary of front-line troops in the British army.
Although servicemen and women are to receive an above-inflation pay rise of 2.6 percent, the basic salary of a private soldier remains £16,227.
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