Screening
Donors will be screened for medical and genetic conditions. Clinics must screen and quarantine donated sperm, eggs, eggs undergoing fertilisation using donated gametes, or embryos to manage the risk of infection transmission. After a donation, donors should contact their clinic if they or a family member are diagnosed with a serious medical condition that could impact a person conceived from the donation.
Counselling
Unknown donors (where the donor does not know the recipient) will be provided with information on approved counsellors and must undertake counselling as part of the donation consent process.
Known donors (where the donor is known to the recipient/s) must have counselling separately and with the recipients prior to consent being given.There is a 3-month cooling off period between counselling and donation/or use.
Family limit
Egg and sperm from donors can be used to create a maximum of five families (not including their own). This includes donating privately, outside Western Australia or overseas.
The Reproductive Technology Council (external site) may approve the donation of embryos that result in making more than 5 families on compassionate grounds.
Parentage
Where the donation has occurred through a licensed fertility provider, legislation makes it clear that donors are not the legal parent of any donor conceived child.
Donor names are not listed on the birth certificate of a donor-conceived child.
There is less legislative clarity where donation occurs in an unregulated setting. Donors are advised to seek legal advice.
Access to information – donor conception registers
Anonymous donation is not permitted in Western Australia.
Non-identifying and identifying information about donors will be sent to the Department of Health Reproductive Technology Treatment Registers.
From 2004 onwards, a person conceived with the assistance of a donor has the right to access identifying information about their donor once they reach 16 years of age. Donors have recently been notified (PDF 137 KB) that these donor-conceived people have started to turn 16 and are becoming eligible to access information about their donors.
Donors may access identifying information where there is consent from all parties. Parties must undertake counselling before information is released.
Payment for donation
Only altruistic donation is allowed in Western Australia. It is illegal to donate gametes for commercial gain.
Donors can be reimbursed for reasonable expenses associated with the donation.