Gay Group Alleges Denial Of Semen-Banking Services
April 04, 2011
A gay and lesbian organization, in what it claims is an unusual move, has filed a complaint against the New England Medical Center for allegedly refusing to provide reproductive semen-banking services to a gay man. Joane Fanny, a spokesperson for the medical center, had no comment, saying the matter was in litigation. She added that the facility doesn't discriminate. The complaint was lodged by the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) of Boston with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination on behalf of Roberto Castillo of Boston. In December 2010, Mr. Castillo sought semen-banking services at the medical center, GLAD states. He planned to freeze his sperm so that it could be used later to inseminate a woman with whom he planned to conceive and parent a child. Mr. Castillo is already the father of one child. Mr. Castillo claims that the center refused to bank and freeze his semen samples, and to transport the samples to the prospective mother's health-care provider because he is gay. He also alleges that the center assumed he had, or was likely to have had, an infectious disease such as HIV -- even though tests indicated Mr. Castillo's semen was safe. Mr. Castillo couldn't be reached late Monday. Maryalice L. Houchens, one of his lawyers, said, ``To my knowledge, this is the first case of its kind.''
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