Canadian gays and lesbians must go outside their country to become biological parents

Fallout continues in response to Canada’s detrimental legislation known as the Assisted Human Reproduction Act – enacted in 2004. The prohibition has forced prospective gay and lesbian parents to ship sperm and fly egg donors from the U.S., and pay egg donors through U.S. agencies.

From The Lawyers Weekly:

The federal government enacted the Assisted Human Reproduction Act in 2004 in an attempt to regulate reproductive technologies. The Act prohibits paying donors for their eggs and sperm. This has led to an acute shortage of reproductive material in Canada.

The government implemented the prohibition on payment for eggs and sperm in an attempt to prevent commercialization of the fertility industry, says Dr. Marjorie Dixon, a fertility specialist at First Steps Fertility Centre in Toronto. While she believes the government had good intentions in enacting the legislation, and wasn’t trying to prevent the LGBTQ community from having families, the good intentions backfired.