Name: Are sperm banks in Denmark rejecting donors based on their IQ?
Uploaded: 2025-12-04T17:17:55.941Z
Duration: 1 min 59 s
Description: An online claim that Denmark requires sperm donors to have an IQ of 85 is false, although one sperm bank in the country, Donor Network, does use an IQ threshold.

An online claim that Denmark requires sperm donors to have an IQ of 85 is false, although one sperm bank in the country, Donor Network, does use an IQ threshold.

Copenhagen

Recent online claims suggested that Denmark enforces a minimum IQ requirement of 85 for sperm donors, sparking confusion and debate. However, this is not a national policy; only the Donor Network sperm bank in Aarhus has implemented an IQ threshold, according to its CEO.

Danish law does not mandate IQ testing for sperm donors, though all donors undergo risk assessments and medical history reviews for genetic risks. Other sperm banks in Denmark have their own criteria, such as age and health requirements, and previous restrictions on donor characteristics have been lifted.

Are sperm banks in Denmark rejecting donors based on their IQ?

Do Danish sperm banks reject men with too low an IQ? Are you a man with an IQ lower than 85? Well, according to a post online, Denmark would block you from donating sperm because you're not intelligent enough. The post has sparked confusion, debate and memes after claiming that Copenhagen has brought in a minimum IQ threshold of 85 to be a sperm donor, but ultimately it's not true. What has happened is that a single sperm bank called Donor Network in the city of Aarhus has brought in the measure, prompting incorrect claims that this is the case for all Danish sperm banks to spread online. The misinformation seems to have emerged off the back of a November article by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, or DR, which took a closer look at Donor Network and its IQ rule. The Cube reached out to Donor Network, whose CEO said that he believes it's the only sperm bank in the world with the requirement, and that it also rejects those with a criminal record. While Denmark as a whole doesn't have an obligatory IQ requirement for sperm donors, they do have to go through a risk assessment and medical history review for any genetic risk factors. Other sperm banks have their own requirements, such as Cryos International, which says its donors must be between 18 and 45 years old, be physically and mentally healthy and live in Denmark while donating. Cryos International also rejected red-haired men as donors in 2011 because it already had enough supplies, but this ban appears to have since been lifted, according to the bank's website. Many online haven't taken the alleged countrywide IQ requirement seriously, but it has still raised some ethical considerations. Broad Consensus says that while traits such as a parent's IQ can influence a child's intelligence, environmental factors play a major role in shaping a child's cognitive development.

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