Men win right to fight for compensation
Added (2009-Feb-14)
A group of men from the Taunton area in the south-western county of Somerset have won the right to compensation after sperm that was being stored for them was damaged.
The individuals were among cancer patients deemed to be at risk of infertility due to chemotherapy treatment they were undergoing and so had sperm samples taken and frozen to give them the chance of fathering children in the future.
Their samples were being stored by the North Bristol NHS Trust and were accidentally allowed to thaw.
Chris Thorne was one of the men affected and it was he who brought the case.
He said: "The impact on each man varied significantly - from mild psychological distress to significant psychological injury and, of course, the inability to father children, although fortunately, in some cases, members of this group regained their fertility."
Recently, it was ruled that the sperm was the donors' property and the men can, therefore, pursue compensation.
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