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Latest Surrogacy News
Fertility clinics address
ethnic concerns
By
AMANDA SPRATT 13 March 2004
Stuff
As
Christchurch's immigrant population grows, fertility
clinics are finding newspaper advertisements for donors
from different ethnicities going
unanswered.
Fertility experts say non-pakeha people seeking sperm
and egg donors are waiting up to three years and longer
for their dream of having a child to come true.
Jan
Barrett, a counsellor at Christchurch's The Fertility
Centre, said there was a shortage of male and female
donors across society generally.
However, it was much harder for those seeking a non-pakeha
child. In some cases donors might never be found, with
Indians and Asians finding it particularly difficult.
Although most people who came to the clinic just wanted
a baby, Barrett said it was essential to consider
ethnicity.
"You
don't want to put a white baby into a mixed-ethnicity
family. It is important the child is going to fit in,"
she said.
Sex and
infertility were very sensitive issues in many cultures
and religion also affected how people viewed fertility
treatment. Relatively small immigrant populations
compounded the problem.
"It's a
logistical thing. There aren't many Indian people in
Christchurch. Sometimes they will advertise outside the
area but that's not ideal."
Canterbury University social work professor Ken Daniels,
an expert on assisted human reproduction, said the
shortage of egg and sperm donors was being felt by
ethnic minorities worldwide.
He has
just advised the Canadian Government on how to improve
the situation there.
"Particularly in some cultures there's a reluctance to
talk about the issue of infertility. For Maori there are
cultural issues which mean for Maori donating gametes (a
term for eggs and sperm) to others holds a different
significance to pakeha donors."
Suspicion of the technology used also hindered potential
donors in some cases, he said.
Daniels
said it was important to look at ways to liaise with
different communities to make them aware of the issue
and address their concerns and questions.
The
Fertility Centre general manager Phill Kelly said
donating gametes would always be a sensitive issue, and
every effort was made at the clinic to avoid
embarrassment.
He said
finding donors would never be easy. About one out of 10
who initially volunteered would become a donor.
Female
donors are particularly rare, some put off by the
hormone drug treatment required as part of the process.
With
female donors required to be under 35 years old and
ideally have finished bearing children, the increasing
average age of women giving birth added to the shortage.
Potential donors were all put through stringent medical
tests and counselling. It was essential that the donor's
partner supported his or her decision and that the donor
considered all consequences of giving this gift to
others, he said.
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