Is sperm donation legal in India?

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am from the city of Pune, India and I am very interested in becoming a sperm donor, since many male friends from the US have donated their sperm successfully, and I want to help, too and get some money for that. But as we are religious people and taking into account how we Hindi people see fertility issues, I am not quite sure whether sperm donation is legal in India. I’d like to know as well if getting money for sperm donation is allowed in India.

Yours faithfully,

Pranav Guptas

Dear Pranav,

Very interesting question. Thank you. The truth is, sperm donation is still a taboo in India unlike other countries such as the US or Russia, for example. But this does not mean it is illegal, since you can find a wide range of sperm banks in India. To sum up, it is a sort of social stigma still.

Apart from that, many men who have donated their sperm in India have admitted doing so to fulfill their material needs; therefore, there is still a lot to be done to spread the altruistic side of this act. In fact, sperm donation is defined by many as a “market phenomenon” in this country, where both social relations and benefits can arise because of doing so. This answers to your second question, too.

Hope I have clarified your doubts,

Best wishes