Donor Network, a private sperm bank in Aarhus, has introduced a minimum IQ requirement of 85 for donors, prompting accusations of eugenics from critics while the company defends the policy as a way to give prospective parents more information.
A private Danish sperm bank has come under fire after introducing a minimum IQ requirement for donors, with critics accusing the company of promoting eugenics. Donor Network, based in Aarhus, uses the Cattell Culture Fair Test to screen applicants, rejecting anyone who scores below 85, the lower end of what is considered the normal range, alongside anyone with a criminal record. Chief executive Jakub Knudsen has defended the policy, saying it ensures a higher standard of donor and gives prospective parents additional information when making their choice. The scheme, introduced in late 2025, has resulted in around 18% of applicants being rejected on IQ grounds alone.
How the screening works
According to the company, a donor’s IQ score is displayed on their profile, allowing prospective parents to weigh it alongside other information including medical history, education, personality assessments and genetic screening. All prospective donors must also undergo a psychological evaluation, extensive medical screening and a criminal background check before being approved.
Donor Network requires applicants to be between 18 and 45 years old. They must not have previously donated at another sperm bank, and cannot themselves be donor-conceived or adopted, as the company requires a complete family medical history for each applicant. Knudsen has said the company believes it is the only sperm bank in the world currently combining a minimum IQ threshold with mandatory criminal record screening for all its donors.
The case for the policy
Defending the approach, Knudsen has pointed to research linking IQ to health outcomes and life success, as well as evidence suggesting intelligence has a heritability of between 50% and 80%. He argues that displaying IQ scores on donor profiles simply gives parents more transparency and choice, in the same way that other traits, such as education or personality, are already disclosed.
The policy sits outside standard practice within Denmark’s donor industry, where sperm banks typically screen for health and age but do not generally test for IQ. It is important to note that the requirement is not a Danish government mandate and does not apply across all sperm banks in the country; it is specific to Donor Network as a private company.
Criticism and ethical debate
The policy has drawn strong criticism from some quarters, with opponents describing it as racist and reminiscent of eugenics. Ethicists, including Dr Daniela Cutas, have pushed back against the emphasis on genetic factors, arguing that environmental and nurture-related influences play a substantial role in a child’s cognitive development, separate from any traits linked to a donor.
The controversy has prompted a wider debate among bioethicists over whether traits such as intelligence should be used as selection criteria for sperm donors at all. Critics argue that environmental factors are central to how intelligence develops, while supporters maintain that prospective parents should be entitled to as much information about donors as possible when making their decision.
International significance
Denmark is one of the world’s largest exporters of donor sperm, supplying fertility clinics across Europe and beyond. As a result, policy changes introduced by individual Danish sperm banks, such as Donor Network’s new IQ threshold, can carry significance well beyond the country’s own borders, affecting prospective parents and fertility clinics internationally who rely on Danish donor sperm.
