Parents Sue After Sperm Donor Is Revealed to be Mentally Ill Criminal

Three couples are suing a United States sperm bank they claim misled them about their donor's credentials.  One couple, whose seven-year-old son was conceived using sperm from Donor 9623, say the donor was described as a healthy gentleman with an IQ of 160 who was completing a PhD. Angie Collins and Beth Hanson later discovered their sperm donor had embellished his accomplishments, hid his mental illness and failed to reveal he had a criminal record. He had previously been diagnosed with various mental health issues including schizophrenia, bipolar, schizoaffective disorder and narcissistic personality disorder, something they only discovered when they received a message from another set of parents who used the same sperm.

“Our hearts just sank,” said Angie. “It was like a lead ball went to the bottom of our stomach, for both my partner and I. “I thought I was being more responsible than picking up a hitchhiker from the side of the road.”

Three families have now filed lawsuits against Augusta, Georgia sperm bank Xytex Corp., with further suits in the pipeline.

San Francisco lawyer Nancy Hersh told The New York Times: "Lots of people will avail themselves of sperm banks, and it is important that the public will be educated about the risks. It is a public health issue.”

Ms. Hersh revealed that at least 12 other American, Canadian and British families are also planning lawsuits related to Donor 9623. A total of 23 children were conceived and born to 15 different families using the donor’s sperm, all with “a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia, which nobody knew at the time they purchased his sperm.”

Speaking to a radio programme, Angie said they "didn’t sign up to choose knowingly that our donor had schizophrenia.”

She added: “We have an amazing child who we adore. He is pure joy. We keep our fingers crossed that none of the 9623 offspring inherit the donor’s tortured existence."