An Overview of Egg Donation Laws in South Africa
At EDSA, we are very conscious of the fact that the reason (or reasons) you may have to choose an egg donor, can be an extremely difficult reality to face, and equally as difficult to accept in the beginning. We dedicate ourselves to assisting you in finding your perfect donor, but equally by offering our services in educating our recipients who are very special to us and our egg donor “stars” to understand the importance of egg donation. And to also, fully understand the laws and regulations surrounding egg donation. Important too is to know that, recipients and egg donors, are fully protected the law.
At EDSA we are 100% committed to you, and we appreciate and follow South African laws because they underpin the spirit of egg donation which is all about togetherness, empowerment, and hope.
South Africa has amongst the best egg donation laws in the world! South African egg donation is governed by the National Health Act (2003) and as mentioned before, these laws protect both you, the recipient and your donors.
The Act itself can be an exhausting document to get through with all the fine print, and can in turn be a little intimidating, so we have outlined three of the most important points that you need to be aware of, when it comes to making the important decision of choosing your perfect egg donor:
1. South African law states that egg donation is anonymous and disclosure of either the donor or the recipient identity is prohibited:
- Your identity as recipients and that of your donors are strictly confidential, and we never disclose your personal details, your adult photos or name.
- The donor will not receive any information regarding you, the recipient. And as such the donor is free from any responsibility to the biological offspring produced by gamete donation.
- A record is kept of all donations as well as resultant pregnancies.
- The legislation in South Africa on egg donation is published in Chapter 8 of the National Health Act (Act no 61 of 2003).
2. When we approve your potential egg donor, it is a strict requirement that your donor has a medical history taken by a registered Reproductive Medicine Specialist and have a Psychological assessment:
- Once the egg donor application form has been approved, the next step is for your donor to go for a full medical screening.
- This will include an ultrasound, a psychological evaluation, as well as a blood tests. These results are shared with the donor.
- Your donor will see our psychologist or social worker, as we would like the process to be a fulfilling one, for the donor as well as you, our recipient.
3. The National Health Act (2003) states that a maximum of six live births are permitted from one donor.
Egg donation is a true gift of life and an altruistic act, which we at EDSA take very seriously. We care about our recipients and donors, and work tirelessly to ensure that both recipients and donors’ experiences are rewarding ones.
Kinny Ramoeng, our wonderful egg donation co-ordinator is responsible for ensuring that each of our recipients and donors are well supported throughout the process of finding a perfect match that is gratifying and meaningful for both!
To chat to Kinny, please email her on co-ordinator@eggdonationsouthafrica.co.za
Love EDSA x