Faced with the moral labyrinth created by collecting a dead man's sperm for in vitro fertilization, health officials yesterday strongly criticized the act as "unethical."
Early this month, doctors at Taipei Veterans General Hospital obtained and froze 3.5cc of sperm from a dead Japanese businessman at his wife's request. The childless wife implored prosecutors and doctors to have her 38-year-old husband's sperm preserved after he jumped from their 12th floor apartment in Taipei early on the morning of March 7. The widow has since flown back to Japan, leaving the sperm tubes stored at the Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Health officials yesterday said that the doctors violated medical ethics, because in vitro fertilization is only allowed when both a wife and husband are alive.
"How could we allow a child to be manufactured and born fatherless?" said Lin Shio-jean (
Despite the health authorities' strong opposition, though, there is no law on the books regulating sperm and egg donations. Currently, the draft of a Law on Human Artificial Reproduction is awaiting review in the Legislative Yuan, while the Regulations on Human Reproductive Technologies (
Health officials argue, though, that preserving sperm from a dead father violates the spirit of the Law on Human Artificial Reproduction, even prior to its passage.
"When we drafted the law, children's rights were our first priority," Lin said. "Child-raising is also the focus of our concerns."
In the draft, it is stated that in vitro fertilization can only be carried out if one party in a legal marriage suffers from sterility. In addition, the husband must be under the age of 60 and the wife under 50.
According to health officials, in this case it is illegal for the wife to receive in vitro fertilization in Taiwan, albeit the Law on Human Artificial Reproduction has not taken effect.
"There is no precedent in Taiwan. Reproductive cells of a deceased person should be destroyed as soon as possible. Doctors who carry out the procedure will face punishment as stated in the Medical Affairs Law (
Doctors urged the wife to get in touch with them as soon as possible so that they can send her the sperm.
"She hasn't contacted us. We expect to export the sperm once she makes the request," said Chang Sheng-ping (
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