AB 1896: Gamete banks.

Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate gamete banks, defined as tissue banks that collect, process, store, or distribute gametes, including facilities that provide professional reproductive services.

This bill would, on and after January 1, 2024, require a gamete bank licensed in this state to provide specified information regarding, among other things, the limitations of donor screening and that some donor-conceived persons are or may be interested in contact with the donor whose gametes were used for their conception, to individuals obtaining donor gametes or donor embryos in order to conceive children. The bill would also, on and after January 1, 2024, require gamete banks licensed in this state to inform prospective gamete donors of specified information, including, among other things, the potential of direct-to-consumer genetic testing to reveal the identity of the donor to persons born as a result of using the donors gametes, even if the donor has chosen not to disclose their identity. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to develop the information and guidance to be provided in consultation with specified stakeholders and to provide that information and guidance on their internet website. The bill would authorize the department to suspend or revoke the license of a gamete bank for a violation of these provisions, as specified.