In a bid to reduce the stigma surrounding the deadly AIDS virus, the world's first-ever HIV-positive sperm bank has been launched in New Zealand.
Ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, three charities have launched 'Sperm Positive' with which three HIV-positive men have already signed up.
They have an 'undetectable viral load' which means that the viral levels in their blood are so low that HIV cannot be transmitted either through sex or childbirth.
The charities, Body Positive, the New Zealand Aids Foundation and Positive Women Inc, hope their project will educate the public about the transmission of HIV along with reducing the stigma for those who are suffering from the illness.
Speaking to local media, Damien Rule-Neal, one of the donors who was diagnosed with HIV in 1999, says stigma and ignorance is still rife. "I had to leave a job after disclosing to my manager I was positive because of the bullying once I'd informed her. That was really sad because that was in the health and disability sector," he told First Up. Rule-Neal is healthy and married, with two children and three grandchildren.
Sperm Positive does not operate as a fertility clinic but puts people in touch with local facilities if they agree to a match. The online sperm bank further states that it will make clear that all donors are HIV positive but on successful treatment that prevents them from passing on the virus.