msjones Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 From the New York Times. /www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44399494/ns/health-childrens_health/#.TmaUFM3rkh8 I wonder how these families feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 It sounds like a sci fi book to me. Kinda scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Yeah, I definitely think there should be a limit on how many times one guy's sperm is distributed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) When you choose to donate sperm and when you choose to use donated sperm, it seems like you would know of this potential upfront. Don't some men sell sperm fairly often? What exactly do they expect to happen? It is interesting that the US does not limit this similarly to many other governments. I would support such a limit but oddly enough I am not sure why specifically. For some reason the donor who is tracking his registered offspring really creeps me out. Edited September 6, 2011 by kijipt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Woa! 150!??! If that sort of thing is happening quite a lot I can see why they might be concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkacademy Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Link don't want to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooketopia Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 The problem with one sperm donor being the father of many is the possibility of a half brother and half sister getting into a relationship and not even knowing that they are related. This can lead to serious birth defects in their potential offspring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Accidentally dating your brother would be weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 I was adopted and know nothing about my birth parents. That hasn't bothered me. But, I think this would bother me. I think I might feel like a commodity. It's one thing for an adoptee to discover a family of 1/2 siblings...but this shines a strange, disturbing light on the fertility industry (Is that appropriate? calling it an industry? Forgive me it that offends...I don't know what else to call it). And, I wonder, do the mothers feel any obligation to connect with these other half-siblings for their children's sakes? I think I might. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 And, I wonder, do the mothers feel any obligation to connect with these other half-siblings for their children's sakes? I think I might. Yes, they do, apparently. That's how they found out, they started a group. Some of them vacation together. At least, that's what the article said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Accidentally dating your brother would be weird. Hopefully you wouldn't kiss your brother, and then a couple years later when he tells you he is your brother, you wouldn't say that you know, somehow you've always known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hopefully you wouldn't kiss your brother, and then a couple years later when he tells you he is your brother, you wouldn't say that you know, somehow you've always known. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) From the New York Times. /www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44399494/ns/health-childrens_health/#.TmaUFM3rkh8 I wonder how these families feel. Maybe a little thrilled. Donors are screened. If you are going to have a baby with a man for something other than love, why not get quality? Having seen the misery of fatal MI in men in their 50s, and how it can run through a family, seeing families of alcoholics, families with everyone over the age of 40 with diabetes, why not pick (if you are going to pick) someone whose relatives are, on average, more stable and healthy than the run of the race. Having a baby with a 50 year old man I barely knew, I can tell you I screened sperm count, cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose, credit record and his colon (colonscopy), smoking record (none) and any judicial involvement. Oh, and he's a GREAT carpenter. Doesn't make my son any less healthy, and perhaps more. Edited September 7, 2011 by kalanamak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hopefully you wouldn't kiss your brother, and then a couple years later when he tells you he is your brother, you wouldn't say that you know, somehow you've always known. Especially if you were just kissing him to make a half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder jealous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tearose Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 When you choose to donate sperm and when you choose to use donated sperm, it seems like you would know of this potential upfront. Don't some men sell sperm fairly often? What exactly do they expect to happen? It is interesting that the US does not limit this similarly to many other governments. I would support such a limit but oddly enough I am not sure why specifically. For some reason the donor who is tracking his registered offspring really creeps me out. The NYTimes article quoted an anonymous sperm donor who asked how many children might result. The sperm bank told him five was a good estimate and that more than ten was very rare. It doesn't seem like the sperm banks are being upfront with either the donors or the "buyers" (sorry, I can't seem to think of a better term). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 The NYTimes article quoted an anonymous sperm donor who asked how many children might result. The sperm bank told him five was a good estimate and that more than ten was very rare. It doesn't seem like the sperm banks are being upfront with either the donors or the "buyers" (sorry, I can't seem to think of a better term). I know someone who was paid by the shot, and donated over years to get through school. I don't believe he thought there would only be 5 or 10 out of 150 donations. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thessa516 Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Especially if you were just kissing him to make a half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder jealous. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hopefully you wouldn't kiss your brother, and then a couple years later when he tells you he is your brother, you wouldn't say that you know, somehow you've always known. Especially if you were just kissing him to make a half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder jealous. :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Hopefully you wouldn't kiss your brother, and then a couple years later when he tells you he is your brother, you wouldn't say that you know, somehow you've always known. :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbollin Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Especially if you were just kissing him to make a half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder jealous. laugh it up, fuzz ball :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiredmommyof8 Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 150 is a bit creepy especially if they all live in the same area. I'd be afraid to date! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom27 Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I've seen stuff like this before, it's kinda weird seeming. On the other hand, is it really that much different from a guy who has unprotected sex with a different women night after night? Who knows how many kids he will father and you are almost guaranteed those children will grow up living very close together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 That grosses me out to no end. We can't get raw milk but there's no limit to how many biological children you can create with your donated sperm. :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) Everybody wants the 6'2" blond, blue-eyed boy w/ 800s on SATs who went to an Ivy. Same with egg-buying. You want to hedge your bets with the smart and pretty ova. If you are choosing a daddy via catalog, what are you looking for? Why would the sperm bank not let you buy what you wanted...I mean, there could be guidelines in place about accpeting sperm for *anyone* lol-- but who wants the ugly guy-- even if you are married to a short, ugly, and stupid guy w/ mother issues? Don't you have to be 6 ft to even donate? Is there a Kilt/IQ/Hottie section for WTW folks? Meaning-- why is anyone the least bit surprised. ?? The people who handle sperm want to make a sale. There is no market for George Castanza seed. Sure, I think sperm banks need more regulation, but they know they would only be wasting energy on storing sperm nobody wants. Edited September 7, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 That grosses me out to no end. We can't get raw milk but there's no limit to how many biological children you can create with your donated sperm. :svengo: :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevilla Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Link don't want to work! Here's the original NYT article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/06/health/06donor.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputterduck Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Everybody wants the 6'2" blond, blue-eyed boy w/ 800s on SATs who went to an Ivy. Same with egg-buying. You want to hedge your bets with the smart and pretty ova. If you are choosing a daddy via catalog, what are you looking for? Why would the sperm bank not let you buy what you wanted...I mean, there could be guidelines in place about accpeting sperm for *anyone* lol-- but who wants the ugly guy-- even if you are married to a short, ugly, and stupid guy w/ mother issues? Don't you have to be 6 ft to even donate? Is there a Kilt/IQ/Hottie section for WTW folks? Meaning-- why is anyone the least bit surprised. ?? The people who handle sperm want to make a sale. There is no market for George Castanza seed. Sure, I think sperm banks need more regulation, but they know they would only be wasting energy on storing sperm nobody wants. I saw a show about a sperm bank where they only dealt in geniuses. If I were to pick what to make a baby out of, why wouldn't I pick the genius? I want the hot genius with no genetic risk factors, tyvm! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) I saw a show about a sperm bank where they only dealt in geniuses. If I were to pick what to make a baby out of, why wouldn't I pick the genius? I want the hot genius with no genetic risk factors, tyvm! :) If there was a market for the stupid, the ugly, or the 5' 5" male genetics, I am sure they would recruit those folks and find it difficult to keep up with the demand! A sperm bank is selling what people want. If I am desperate for a baby, and I am picking and choosing, with all things being equal, I am going to choose the smart hottie. Who would not? *Of course* one guy shouldn't be contributing half the DNA of Long Island! It will lead to issues. There should be legislation, but there wasn't, and people who were buying sperm wanted a certain DNA speciman in the genetic crap shoot. Edited September 7, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I've seen stuff like this before, it's kinda weird seeming. On the other hand, is it really that much different from a guy who has unprotected sex with a different women night after night? Who knows how many kids he will father and you are almost guaranteed those children will grow up living very close together. I don't care how much of a player you are, 150 kids or anywhere near it would be pretty hard to reach with purely recreational sex. It's not like the guy is screening his hook-ups for maximum fertility. "How you doing? When did you last ovulate?" :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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