The legal and ethical challenges of unregulated sperm donation – recent prolific examples

Jacqueline Thomas KC, Spire Barristers

There continues to be a growing trend in the use of online unregulated sperm donors. The process is attracting increased press and media attention as shown by recent BBC and Netflix documentaries. The cases of Re N (Paternity: Unregulated Sperm Donor) [2026] EWHC 878 (Fam), Re CA and Ors (Children of Unregulated Sperm Donor) [2025] EWFC 130, and A v B and others [2023] EWFC 333 all involve decisions relating to the same donor, named in the judgments as Robert Albon. The practises of such a prolific donor raises the question of regulation, and whether the online trade should be subject to better regulation, or whether that would be represent an unhelpful incursion into women’s reproductive autonomy.

This article considers the facts of the cases, the current regulatory framework and whether more can be done to protect the women who choose to engage with online donation, without unnecessarily impacting on their right to make decisions.