Draft Bill: Info on Sperm, Egg Donors to Be Stored for 100 Years

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, October 9, 2024

Information regarding the origins of children born through fertility treatments using donated sperm or eggs will be stored for 100 years at the National Center for Child Health and Development, according to the final draft of a bill relating to the treatments compiled by a nonpartisan Diet group.

The group, which is chaired by former Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Seiko Noda, aims to submit the bill to the Diet before the end of the year.

The final draft presented at a general meeting of the group Monday stipulates that, in consideration of a child’s right to know about their origins, information on sperm and egg donors, couples who received the treatments and their offspring should be kept at the center for 100 years.

It also establishes a structure in which information on donors, including height, age and blood type can be disclosed after their offspring turn 18, based on consent granted by each donor at the time of donation.

The draft introduces a system for certifying medical institutions to handle donated sperm and eggs, and an approval system for intermediary organizations to do so.

It also includes provisions prohibiting the giving or receiving of benefits, and penalties for violations, including fines and imprisonment.

Systems related to the bill will be reexamined five years after the law is promulgated, and any necessary measures will be taken accordingly, the draft says.