Women looking for sperm donations have started flooding to Denmark, one of the only places left in Europe where sperm donors can retain their anonymity. This means the country has plenty of sperm available for foreign women hoping to concieve through artificial insemination.
Denmark has no shortage of fully screened and tested sperm.
According to the Danish Department of Health, 2,694 foreign women had artificial insemination in Denmark in 2008. By 2010, this figure had jumped to 4,665.
Women who go through this process get a surprising amount of information about each donor. They can ‘narrow down’ donors by height and weight, and read the man’s profile, which contains general information about him, usually including his career. For a fee, women can download an audio sample of the man explaining why he is donating sperm, and a photograph of the man as a baby.
Staff are also happy to talk about most of the donors, to give the women a better indication of their personality. They can give away hints such as if he dresses nicely, and if he’s friendly.
The rush to Denmark seems to be sparked by laws surrounding sperm donation. In Denmark, no information is given that could identify the donor, and he cannot be traced unless he consented to this before giving the sample. This is a stark contrast to most other European countries, including the UK, where donors names and contact details can be given out.
Kellie Lombard decided to use Danish sperm to have a family after British and South African attempts failed. Kellie now has a two year old daughter and five month old identical twin boys. They are all fathered by the same person, although Kellie has now used up the ‘full’ amount of the donor’s sperm that can be bought into the UK. This restriction is in place to prevent related people from living close to each other.
Kellie described her experiences to the BBC, stating; “We were originally looking for David Beckham, but we also wanted someone with academic qualifications.” Kellie knows quite a lot about her children’s father; he is 6 foot 4, for example, and a medical student. She is often questioned on him when out and about with her two year old daughter, who is extremely Scandinavian looking.
Clinics in the country are also credited with attracting foreign women; after stating they treated each woman like a princess. Women can bring friends or candles, and can talk to staff about their mood, their day and their problems. Nurses are determined that no one should feel like a number, and that is a mentality which will keep women coming back.
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