Health Law
Iowa Judge OKs Sperm Donation By Dying Man
An Iowa judge has OK’d a family’s plan to harvest sperm from a dying man so that his fiancée can later have his baby.
The family sought the unusual ruling after the hospital at which Daniel Christy is on life support after a Sept. 9 motorcycle accident refused their request to harvest his sperm. Although he is a listed organ donor, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics contended that the family’s request was unauthorized because the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act doesn’t apply to sperm, reports the Daily Iowan.
Judge Martha Beckelman ruled that the act does apply to sperm. Sheldon Kurtz, a law professor at the University of Iowa who drafted the statute, reportedly provided an affidavit supporting the family’s position in the case.
