Renegade sperm donor triggers US probe
WASHINGTON - A California man who donates his sperm for free to couples who want to have a baby is being investigated by US regulators but insists he will continue his efforts as a matter of goodwill.
Trent Arsenault, 36, first attracted scrutiny from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009 for his free sperm donations, which he says resulted in 14 births with several more babies on the way.
A cease-and-desist letter from the FDA in November 2010 did not dissuade him -- there have been five pregnancies and one birth since that notice arrived, he told AFP, adding that he still has no hearing date with the regulatory agency.
"I want to continue because the amount of e-mails from childless couples has been tremendous," Arsenault said. "All of them have similar stories -- that it is too costly to conceive via a sperm bank."
People who purchase from a registered sperm bank typically pay between $200 and $675 per dose, according to Fairfax Cryobank in Virginia.
Arsenault's personal website, trentdonor.org, describes him as a blond-haired, brown-eyed Silicon Valley tech worker. — Agence France Presse
Trent Arsenault, 36, first attracted scrutiny from the US Food and Drug Administration in 2009 for his free sperm donations, which he says resulted in 14 births with several more babies on the way.
A cease-and-desist letter from the FDA in November 2010 did not dissuade him -- there have been five pregnancies and one birth since that notice arrived, he told AFP, adding that he still has no hearing date with the regulatory agency.
"I want to continue because the amount of e-mails from childless couples has been tremendous," Arsenault said. "All of them have similar stories -- that it is too costly to conceive via a sperm bank."
People who purchase from a registered sperm bank typically pay between $200 and $675 per dose, according to Fairfax Cryobank in Virginia.
Arsenault's personal website, trentdonor.org, describes him as a blond-haired, brown-eyed Silicon Valley tech worker. — Agence France Presse
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