Experts are concerned about lax regulations on sperm donation in Canada and the US where some men have anonymously fathered dozens of children. In these countries, there are no laws to officially curb the number of children who can be born from a single donor, according to the Canadian health ministry. International norms place a ceiling at 20 pregnancies from the same donor. Denmark has placed a limit at 25 births per single donor. Most sperm banks have their own regulations.

However, one thing is voluntary rules, another thing is reality. Toronto documentary maker Barry Stevens has used his experiences as a donor child as inspiration. He was born in Britain through a donor who then went on to father 500 to 1,000 children during the 3 decades in which he donated to sperm banks. He now has siblings across Canada, the US, Europe and beyond.

Specialists caution that over-reliance on one donor increases the risk of genetic diseases, birth defects, and even inadvertent incest. Juliet Guichon, of the University of Calgary, said the latter is more common than it might seem. “People who seek sperm donation are from the same socio-economical status. They know each other, they are advised to see the same doctor, they live in the same neighborhood. It's not randomly distributed,” she said. “Sperm giving is a market-driven phenomenon. What is governing this is market consideration, not consideration for the best interest of children. And that is why we have this outcome.” ~ AFP, Oct 8