Sperm shortage in Australia

I found this relatively recent website online about the sperm shortage in Australia.

So, only 20% of Australian males are aware of the shortage?  Is that really the issue?  This other site talking about how IVF centres in Adelaide are being forced to look overseas for donors along with this article talking about how 80% of sperm used in Australian IVF is imported.

None of these articles, NOT ONE OF THESE ARTICLES, looks at why Australian men are so uninterested in donating.  Perhaps if they can bring themselves to ask the question why not, can they begin to address the causes for the why not.

But no, that would either take too much effort, or would lead to the realisation that it is their own laws and system surrounding the donation system which puts men off.  Even this SBS show Insight which did an episode on Sperm Donation in Australia only touched on it, and even then it was only mentioned by one of the men who'd donated outside of the usual legally sanctioned channels.  Be forewarned, the SBS network is a very far left-wing channel and of course no left-wing station is going to care about any of the possible negatives on something they've already decided is a good thing.

If they'd bothered to ask ANY man why he wouldn't want to donate, here are my reasons why:

1.  Thinking about the future

Men actually think about the future, even men who are only 20 years old.  The IVF clinics say that a man's sperm may be used up to five times to create five children.  Potentially that's five different children with five different mothers, some who may have serious issues (the mother, the child or both).  Who in their right mind would be happy about committing to giving the "gift of life" only to see that gift come knocking on your door five years later and potentially upsetting your current relationship / family life?
How many people would donate to charity if it meant that 18 years later you'd have someone knocking on your door wanting to get to know you and possibly be a part of your family?

2.  The government can't be trusted

Did you know that the government decided that, based on the wording of the documentation donors signed after about 1990, 'anonymous' donors would not be legally able to stay anonymous?  All donors today are basically told that their information will be made available to their "offspring" at their request upon their turning 18.
What's to stop our oh-so-consistent government from changing the laws again to make it that any child conceived through IVF, if facing hard financial times, shall be given money from their donor parent for support.  This would be more likely if the IVF recipient were a single woman (yes, our government subsidizes that!), but the argument which led to the identities of donors being handed to children was that it was "in the interest of the children".  Will the government really not use that argument if the mother of the child falls on hard times?  If we can't trust them with our privacy, what makes you think we can trust them with our money?!
Not only can't our government keep promises made in single terms, they certainly can't be trusted to consider the situation of men, especially not when parts of our government don't even consider men a part of the community.  Don't worry though men, you will rate a mention once you're a Senior.  Until then you're on your own and not putting more of yourself out there than you need to is a good way to look out for your interests.

3.  The lack of full disclosure

So many people talk about boys and men as being reckless, yet most eligible donors who choose not to donate are actually anything but.  Sure, there are all of those positive stories about the guy who got to meet his biological daughter and how happy it made him, but where is even one story about the family that was torn apart by the person that turned up on their doorstep?  Is there really not a single story or, much like the Insight program, are the stories presented purposely cherry picked to make them sound all roses?
There's virtually no information available to the donors themselves about the children.  Are the men advised when the child turns 18?  Are the men given their names, so they're aware of someone who turns up in their life is biologically related?  What if the child turns up claiming to be yours from a previous relationship?  Imagine the sort of strain that would put on a relationship.

4.  Last Will and Testament

So you've lived a full life and you pass away.  Imagine after you're gone and you leave all your possessions to your spouse and (own) children.  Suddenly someone turns up and claims to be a child from a previous relationship and can back up their claim with DNA.  Will the sperm donation organisation open up their records so that your family can exclude them from your Will, or will your family have to pay through the nose to keep your assets in your family's hands?  Will there be any money left after the legal battles that would ensue?
The Australian legal system isn't set up for these kinds of cases because the focus on full disclosure of identity only applies to the children, not the donor or his family.

The reasons I list above are, in a large way, interlinked as I believe the legal system has yet to fully catch up with the reality that the whole IVF / sperm donor system really is a legal minefield which has yet to fully be tested.  How does a widow go about seeing if an alleged illegitimate 'heir' was actually a child conceived by sperm donation?  Are donors advised or warned that their biological children are aware of them and, if so, is there anything in place to possibly protect them if said child has major issues (personality or mental health)?

There is clearly no simple solution, but I honestly don't see ANY consideration given to the donor, what their personal situation may be at the time when the child will be granted access to their identity or even if child should be given the donor's personal details.  Perhaps someone should do an assessment on the 'child' to establish that the child would not pose a threat to the donor or donor's family, either physically or emotionally.

Until such time that the concerns of potential donors are even put to print in a serious manner, I foresee there to be many more years to come where the majority of sperm donors are from outside Australia.  Which is how it should be, since the government certainly isn't going to look after the interests of men and their respective futures.  The government is too busy trying to win elections with promises to make the place better "for the children" with no regard or consideration given to the donors.

Well, they'll make it better for the children... the few that are actually born anyway.

UPDATE:  In the time since I wrote this article I've seen some of the above points stated with the usual response being to dismiss those concerns as "trolling".  Interestingly enough, not one of the forums has actually addressed any of the concerned, only responded in the usual "don't be stupid", "stop trolling" and, my personal favourite "it's not going to happen".  Notice the comment is "it's not going to happen" and not "it CAN'T happen", which is because they all know that it COULD happen, regardless of how small the probability of it happening.