Freeze all 18-year-men’s sperm ‘to prevent genetic diseases’ says scientst

Freezing the sperm of all 18-year-old men should be considered because of the risks of having children in later life, a British expert has claimed. Kevin Smith, from Abertay University in Dundee, said sperm becomes more prone to mutations with age, increasing the risk of genetic disorders. He said state-funded universal sperm-banking “offers a straightforward solution”, but another expert at the University of Sheffield branded the idea “simply crackers”. In a paper in the Journal of Medical Ethics, Dr Smith said he was not claiming that children from older fathers were “worse off” but they more likely to suffer from genetic diseases.

This approach may appear radical or intuitively unwelcome to some, in that it would entail a wholescale move away from natural conception. Sperm banking offers a straightforward solution to the problem of paternal age effect genetic disease.

Kevin Smith, from Abertay University in Dundee

Dr Smith, a bioethicist at the university’s school of science, engineering and technology, said the technology for storing sperm was “well-established” and the “widespread adoption” of all young men would be “desirable”. He added: “Sperm banking is a practical solution that could in principle be implemented immediately.” However, Allan Pacey, a professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield, said: “This is one of the most ridiculous suggestions I have heard in a long time. The idea that mass sperm banking for 18-year-olds should be funded by the NHS is simply crackers.”

We know that the sperm from the majority of men won’t freeze very well, which is one of the reasons why sperm donors are in short supply.

Allan Pacey, a professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield,

Science Freeze sperm