Would You Harvest your Dead Husband’s Sperm?

As technology advances, we modern humans face ethical dilemmas older generations never had to face. Like whether it is OK to preserve your dead husband’s sperm in the hope you can one day bear children with his DNA.

Krystle Jane Ross from Queensland has just been granted permission by the courts to preserve her husband’s sperm after the 25 year old, Thomas Takurau, died in a workplace accident.

While Justice John Byrne granted Ms Ross permission to preserve the sperm, a date has yet to be set for hearing Ms Ross’ application to actually use it.

This is not the first such case in Australia or the rest of the world, however the laws have always been a bit vague.

New legislation introduced in Victoria last week under the Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) bill makes things a little clearer, by allowing women to conceive using the sperm of their dead partners, with prior consent.

Both Ms Ross’ and Mr Takurau’s profiles state they someday wanted children, but is that considered prior written consent?

I honestly can’t imagine how I’d feel if I lost my husband while trying to conceive a sibling for our son. But I also don’t know how I’d explain the harvest to family and friends. It’s a brave new world, folks.

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