Morning:
20°c
Johnny Depp has become, in his young middle age, like a star of the movies’ golden period
Secret deal hatched by News of the World to hush up details of phone-tapping was sealed in a tiny room at the Royal Courts of Justice
More...
Sperm donor, 72, to father his own grandchild
Last updated at 23:07pm on 05.10.07
The anonymous man has been given permission to donate his sperm to his daughter-in-law
A man of 72 is to donate sperm to try to father his own 'grandchild'.
He has been cleared to provide the sperm to his daughter-in-law to allow her to become a mother.
Any baby born will be its grandfather's genetic child and a halfbrother or half-sister to the man it takes to be its father.
What do you think about the case? Join the debate
The case - believed to be the first of its kind in the UK - raises ethical questions about how well the child will cope with such unusual family circumstances.
The Harley Street doctors treating the couple, however, say that the child's interests were paramount when taking the decision.
The couple, whose identity is being kept secret, opted for donor sperm after IVF treatment with the husband's own failed.
They turned to the husband's father, rather than an anonymous donor, because they wanted a child as genetically similar to both families as possible.
Peter Bowen-Simpkins, codirector of the London Women's Clinic which is carrying out the procedure, said the couple and the grandfather had undergone extensive counselling.
"I've certainly never come across a case like this before," he said.
"But advancements in fertility treatment have overcome a lot of taboos in science which means that people are prepared to consider all sorts of options.
"Obviously, the wife's mother-inlaw also had to be included in all of the conversations but she has no objections.
"Society has also changed its perceptions of what is and what is not acceptable.
"In this case, keeping the genetic identity of the child similar to their own was a huge factor.
"The husband does not have a brother, which is why he chose his own father to assist."
Kamal Ahuja, the clinic's scientific director, said: "We spent many, many months deliberating this case and discussed it with our ethics committee and with counsellors and have come to the conclusion that they shouldn't have been denied treatment."
It is not known if the couple, who are in their thirties, intend to tell the child about its parentage.
The child will be able to track down its biological father on turning 18.
Critics cautioned that the child could face major identity issues.
Philippa Taylor, of Care, a Christian charity, said: "The reproductive whims of parents to do some deliberate and unnecessary social engineering should not be put before the welfare of the child.
"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should."
A spokesman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said donations from family members were legal and relatively common.
Preliminary tests at the clinic suggest that the 72-year-old's sperm is viable.
Reader views (8)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Would anyone have a problem if the brother of the man would be the donor?
- Diana., Netherlands
I think that people shouldn't complain this much. If they are happy with it, let them be. We can't decide for them and there are worse things going on than this.
- Marcel, Holland
I don't think this is much different than a grandmother giving birth to her own grandchildren! If this family is happy with this solution then why not? I do think that they have to inform the child, because it could be very hard on him/her when he/she grows up.
- Jenny Lavender, Hengelo, Holland
Yeuch! How incestuous. How will the poor kid feel?
- Suzie, Hong Kong, China
Yet another example of our sick throwaway society. What do you tell the child when it grows up.
- William, Brampton Cumbria
I think this beats all! Surely close relations should not be allowed to have children together, which is what this amounts too! The mind boggles at this absolutely disgusting decision! Why should people think they can do anything to satisfy their so called 'needs'? Is there no end to what people will do? It's the child/children in these cases who should take priority and what their feeings about it in the future will be. Other people, especially children, can be very cruel to someone they consider outside of normal! What next I wonder - siblings being allowed to cohabit and have families? A gravely wrong decision.
- Jesus, Alicante, Spain
"The couple, whose identity is being kept secret" - I'll bet! What a Frankenstein-style nightmare this country is becoming. Infertility is not a disease, and there is no right to have children. The selfishness of this couple is breathtaking. I shudder for the mental wellbeing of any child produced as a result of this creepy procedure.
- Marianne, London
Ugh! This is all about satisfying the would-be parents' selfish needs - do they just not CARE how this will affect the child?
- Marianne, SW France
