Colorado becomes first state to ban anonymous sperm and egg donations

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed legislation on Tuesday banning anonymous sperm and egg donations, making the state the first in the country to prohibit the practice, the Denver Post reported Wednesday.

Why it matters: Once the law takes effect in 2025, donor-conceived adults will have the legal right to request information about their donor's identity and medical history.

The big picture: The law requires gamete banks that provide sperm and egg collection and matching to maintain up-to-date medical records and contact information for all donors.

• It also prohibits donations from donors who refuse to agree to identity disclosures and limits the number of families that can use any given donor.
• The law also raises the minimum age to donate to 21, per the Post.
• The law's passage comes just weeks after a Grand Junction jury awarded $9 million to families who had sued a fertility doctor for using his own sperm to impregnate patients, per the Post.

What they're saying: The U.S. Donor Conceived Council heralded the decision, tweeting that "history was made" on Tuesday.

• “Anonymity is a promise that cannot be kept due to the popularity of at-home DNA testing,” State Senate President Stephen Fenberg said in a statement, per the Post.
• “This bill recognizes this reality and affirms that while shared DNA does not always make a family, the identity of the donor is important to the health and identity of many donor-conceived persons," he added.