Who Owns the Sperm? – Estate Matters

When it comes time to prepare documents relating to most people’s estates, you can imagine that the usual items that come up for discussion include the following: guardianship of minors, real estate holdings, companies, trusts, vehicles, superannuation, bank accounts and investments.

Every once in a while however, you have to address a question like the above one: who owns the sperm?

You can imagine that there is not a lot of legal history addressing this sort of issue, because of course, this is a new generation of ethical and legal dilemmas that has come about because of advancements in medicine and technology.

As more and more young people are facing issues of fertility and treatment for illness, and more people are harvesting and storing eggs and sperm for the future, this is definitely an issue to address if it affects you.

You can rest assured that the answer is as complex as the question. Let me just say that you need to discuss this with your partner and your business lawyer Gold Coast before you sign any agreements with the fertility treatment centres. You also need to make sure you and your partner’s wishes are clearly outlined and addressed now – not later.