Technology allows sperm to be frozen longer than legal 50-year limit but poses medical and ethical questions
A change of law has paved the way for more babies to be born from sperm frozen up to 50 years ago, but experts say there is no scientific reason why sperm hundreds of years old cannot be used.
This week, a boy was born using sperm frozen in 1996, collected when his father was diagnosed, aged 21, with Hodgkin lymphoma, in case his treatment caused infertility.
Described as a “miracle” by his now 47-year-old father, Peter Hickles, the baby is close to holding the record for the longest gap between sperm collection and birth – he was beaten by a baby born in the US using a 27-year-old sample.
