The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu is condemning the sale of sperms in Ghana. He claims it is against God’s principles. He explained that procreation is “something that has to take place between a man and a woman”; this, he said, “means having children should be done in the context of marriage and if people are going to sell sperm then it takes it out of the area of marriage, that is why the Catholic Church is concerned, that is not right, it is wrong and so that shouldn’t be done at all.”

He rather advised childless couples to seek medical treatment. Also, they are worried the increasing commercialization of sperm and egg donation might cause people to contract viruses such as HIV.

This condemnation and plenty talk is really not necessary.

We live in a society where couples are pressured to have children even if they’re not ready for one. The old ‘witch’ (mother-in-law) is spewing fire and the church is praying against the woman’s barrenness. If it happens that the couple need a child and cannot have one naturally, the only choice they may have is to go through the artificial way.

The Catholic Church loves to condemn a lot. They condemn the use of contraceptives especially condoms because they claim it promotes promiscuity and against God’s principles. When couples have more than enough children they can cater for, they condemn the act—rying the country’s infrastructure cannot cope with large numbers of children from poor backgrounds.

Now, childless couples who have the means to cater for a child but unfortunately cannot have one because of health issues cannot do so because it’s against God’s principles. What’s next?

Talking about childless couples seeking medical treatment, common diabetes cannot even be diagnosed in Ghana, how much more undergoing medical treatment for childlessness. Can the ordinary woman/man afford these fertility services even in government hospitals? If people are in dire need of children and can afford the ‘services’ of somebody else’s sperms cheaper than medical treatment, why not?

If the issue is about diseases, why not test the sperms of donors before using it? Screening the sperms before ‘endorsing’ if for inseminations makes sense. If they screen donated blood why can’t they screen sperms? People are also earning money to keep body and soul and to give offering at church.

What they need to do instead is to encourage childless couples to buy the sperms from facilities that have the proper regulatory practices in place for their own good and that of the unborn babies and desist buying ‘wayside’ sperms. Also the health ministry should put stringent measures into place to protect both the donor and the buyer. The safety of both the couple and unborn child should be their concern but not condemning the act outright.

Buying sperms is far better than employing nurses and matrons to steal people’s babies at Korle-Bu and 37.

Claims that the act is against the principles of God: I’ll just have to agree to disagree…