– We specifically asked if it was possible to have biological siblings already in the first class, says Catharina Elise Aas. It has always been important for Aas and his partner to have biological children. Before they went to a fertility clinic to get pregnant, they made sure it was something they could get. – The clinic did not inform us that the donor could not be used again. If the couple is to have biological siblings, they are dependent on using the same donor several times. Aas became pregnant on the first attempt with insemination with sperm from a donor. – We knew nothing about the donor at all. But it wasn’t until they were planning pregnancy number two that they received the discouraging news. – The donor we had received was not approved as a donor in Norway. It would turn out that Klinikk Hausken was missing the social security number of the donor they had given to the couple. There will be many cuddly moments together with the son. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news Affects more than 20 women The Norwegian Directorate of Health requires social security numbers for those who donate sperm to Norwegian women. This is to ensure that the children will be able to track down the identity of the donors. Instead of filling in the social security number in the Directorate of Health’s register, the Hausken clinic wrote the number 0. – The date of birth was written followed by “00000”, says doctor Arne Schwennicke at the Hausken clinic. In 2019, the Norwegian Directorate of Health took over responsibility for the donor register and introduced electronic registration of donors. That’s when the error at Klinikk Hausken occurred. – We have made a mistake with registration. So it is us as a business that has not registered correctly, says Schwennicke. In 2005, all children born with the help of a donor were given the right to find out their biological origin. When they reach the age of 15, all children born in this way must be able to track down their donor. Those born before 2021 have the right to track down a donor at the age of 18. Catharina and her partner had their first child last year. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news The Norwegian Directorate of Health therefore sets a number of requirements for information about the donors. These are the requirements for the information about a donor from a foreign egg bank/sperm bank: Name Date of birth Social security number Name of foreign egg bank/sperm bank A separate code for the sperm bank abroad (DIS part of the SEC code) Confirmation that the donor has consented Klinikk Hausken lacks the donor’s social security number they have given to the couple from Sarpsborg. The clinic tells news that the same applies to more than 20 other women. This also affects women who have frozen embryos. The misregistration of the donors given to the women was not discovered until two years had passed. Tell me Have you experienced similar challenges? Or do you have tips on matters concerning egg and sperm donation? All information is treated confidentially. Believes that an exception should be made. The Directorate of Health will not allow clinic Hausken to use the donor that the couple from Sarpsborg has received again. – We cannot without further ado grant exemptions from the requirements in the law that information about the donor’s identity must be registered, says senior adviser in the Directorate of Health Anne Forus. For Aas and his partner, this means that they cannot have biological siblings for their child in Norway. Klinikk Hausken believes this is too strict. Now that the error has occurred, they believe the Norwegian Directorate of Health should make some exceptions. – You also have to think about how important it can be for some families to have children who are full siblings and relate to one sperm donor and not several, says Schwennicke. The Directorate of Health fears that not all children will get what they are entitled to, if they allow the clinic to continue using the donor sperm. – When we receive incomplete information about the donor’s identity, we will not be able to fulfill the child’s rights. That is our main concern here, says Forus. Catharina and her partner want another child. Now they are not allowed to use the same donor in Norway. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news The clinic claims that it should be possible to track down the donors, even if they do not have a social security number. Not all countries in Europe have social security numbers in the same way as we do in Norway. Nevertheless, the Directorate of Health maintains that it is something the clinic must register. That may be easier said than done. – I have been in contact with the central sperm registers in Germany and England. Germany cannot give information about donors to anyone other than the German clinics and children born in Germany, says Schwennicke. In England they don’t have social security numbers like we have in Norway. “Security mechanisms” were not enough The Directorate of Health says they have security mechanisms in their systems to ensure that the clinics enter correct information about the donors. Nevertheless, Klinikk Hausken has managed to register donors in the Directorate of Health’s systems without a social security number. – Our starting point is that the clinics know the routines and the requirements that we set. And that they register information according to those routines, says Forus. – It is already difficult enough – I am irritated and frustrated. It’s already difficult enough, says Aas. She finds it difficult to understand that this could have happened. She also believes that she has received little information from the clinic. – I can only apologize and I also believe that I did so in the telephone conversation we had, says Schwennicke. Catharina Elise Aas finds it difficult to deal with what has happened. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news After news started working on this case, doctor Arne Schwennicke apologized again to Aas over the phone. The only solution for the couple now is to travel to Denmark. The clinic still has the straws and has the option of sending the straws back to the sperm bank in Denmark. According to the clinic, there is no requirement for a social security number. – The plan is to go to Denmark this summer. We have paid for the storage of the straws up to and including June this year. The straws are ours, but we are not allowed to use them here, says Aas. The couple must pay the cost of traveling to Denmark out of their own pockets.
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Assisted fertilization with a foreign donor was not approved in Norway – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
