A US court has ruled that a sperm bank can be sued for selling sperm that causes a child to have a genetic defect. The case was brought on behalf of a 13-year-old girl with Fragile-X syndrome, a common cause of mental retardation and shines more light on the market for sperm. According to the judgement, in 1994, Donna Donovan found a company which promised first-class sperm. Idant Laboratories guaranteed that its semen was exceptionally safe, that its screening standards were excellent, and that its donors had been rigorously screened for a good genetic background. Unfortunately donor G738 was a carrier for Fragile X. The child's problems became apparent in 1998, but two doctors engaged by Idant still insisted that they were not related to Fragile-X syndrome nor to the donated sperm. Ms Donovan accepted this and it was not until a case report about her daughter was published in a medical journal that she realised that the sperm donor had definitely been a carrier. The case is still in its early stages, but no doubt will be watched anxiously by all sperm merchants. ~Wall Street Journal, Apr 9