• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

Sperm Donation: Oddities; Legalities; Marketing; Etc.

A

Anonymous

Guest
Last edited by a moderator:
'Life is a sadistic prank, played by malign and senile gods. When you understand this, the only rational response is insanity.'

8¬)
 
Hmm it seems using donated sperm is as much of a lottery as getting it the old fashioned way. That must be a real bitch to find out. All I am gonna say is that I've been there done that, got the t-shirt and luckily the all clear. Phew!

Well I guess they cannot test for every possible genetic abnormality or disease. Case of seriously bad luck. Thats life though huh? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
 
All the more reason to allow genetic engineering to continue.
 
Or, as our grannies would say, 'you shouldn't mess with nature, no good will come of it, mark my words.'

Carole

The sentiments expressed above are not necessarily those of the author.
 
Okay, get old and die of something horrible then.... :) Oh, and don't forget to pass it on to your kids too.
 
Workers at the Romanian jeep-producing plant ARO Campulung are planning to produce something extra-special to get their factory out of debt.

The men have resolved to pay off the $20million debt by donating their sperm to a local fertility clinic, which pays $50 a pop. The monthly wage in Romania is about $150.

“If 1,000 workers donate their sperm for several months, we can get enough funds to pay part of the plant's debts," said trade union leader Ion Cotescu, who came up with the idea.

Its a shame its not as profitable in the UK or i'd be rolling in it by now!!
 
If the average wage of my country was $150, and it was $50 per donation, let's just say I would soon be an Eastern Bloc Bill Gates. Shaking hands with visiting dignitaries may be a problem though eventually.
 
MrC -

Please, please, please give a link to this story - preferably to the Financial Times or similar.

Given an accredited source, I'm sure I can work it into a Business Strategy exam answer.....
 
I think this is odd enough now to count as Fortean, but perhaps in future it will be commonplace.
Lesbian couple buy internet sperm

The first "internet baby" is due next month
A woman from Liverpool has conceived after she and her lesbian partner bought sperm from an internet donor service.
It is one of the first such pregnancies in the UK.

Jamie Saphier, 26, from Walton, is due to give birth in January.

She and her partner, 36 year-old Sarah Watkinson, paid a website to match them with a sperm donor and provide medical screening.

They are among 16 couples who have conceived using the Man Not Included website in the last year.

The first baby is due to be born to a married couple next month.

The two women say they turned to the service after their GP refused to help.

They ordered the sperm after selecting the race, eye colour, height and weight, and other life characteristics of a donor.

Ms Saphier says the couple know many people will be against what they have done.

But she said their child will be loved, and they do not see it as wrong.

Critics of the internet insemination process say the site is unsafe and takes advantage of desperate would-be parents.

Caring and loving

Dr Anthony Cole, chairman of the Medical Ethics Alliance, said it raised concerns about the true nature of parenthood.

He said: "There is considerable disquiet that this could be done on a commercial basis.

"There is also concern that it is wholly undermining some of the building blocks of a stable society."

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) says it does not cover the website because it deals in fresh sperm.

Man Not Included was initially set up for lesbian couples and single women.

Its founder, John Gonzalez, defended his business.

He told News 24: "It allows couples to go on the site and select a donor who fits the characteristics of themselves and their partners.

"Our donors are probably among the healthiest people in the UK in terms of being screened.

"In the UK we have the highest teenage pregnancy rate.

"We need to look at that, not the fact that people want to have children that they want to bring up in a caring, loving environment."
Click to expand...
BBC link

And for anyone here interested, the relevent website is
http://www.mannotincluded.com/
 
I know that many critics of this would much rather that children were only born in wedlock. But given that that isn't going to happen, would they rather that single women and lesbians went out to night clubs and had a one night stand with someone they have no knowledge of, health wise and genetically? Isn't it safer all round to have background knowledge of the father?
 
Jesus F*cking Christ, Ryn! That page took over 15 mins to load to a point where I could read it. That's 15 mins of my life wasted on a story that was summed up in your link title.:mad:

not your fault, not mad at you but could you please post the story in your post insted please and save other people's nerves and sanity.
 
You must have hit a bad time on the web, Caroline: I just tried it again - less than a minute to load completely, with the text complete in about half that!

In case anyone else had trouble:
Sperm donors to keep anonymity
27th January 2003

he Government has ruled out giving children of sperm donors the right to trace their biological fathers.

The reassurance came despite ministers being advised by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority that the need for children to know their genetic background and true identity should outweigh donors' privacy rights.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We can categorically say we are not going to remove anonymity for donors and we will be making an announcement on the subject shortly."

A HFEA spokeswoman said that the organisation "was not in a position" to react to the decision until it had heard the confirmation from the Government officially.

However the spokeswoman said: "When the authority considered the question of donor anonymity it felt that it was important that donor anonymity should be ended.

"It felt that it was appropriate for people to have access to information about their genetic parents.

"However we are aware that the consultation has been a lengthy and very difficult one with a number of organisations and individuals in the field arguing that an end to donor anonymity would lead to a shortage of donors.

"We are aware that it has been a very difficult thing for the Government to balance."

The announcement comes after reports at the weekend that health minister Hazel Blears would announce plans for sweeping legal changes during the HFEA conference next week.

With proposals in the UK giving adopted children the right to trace their parents and the possibility of successful challenges from donor children under European law, ministers have had to investigate if they should help sperm donor children to uncover their parentage.
Click to expand...
 
In case this ever becomes a true commercial venture, can I register the following slogan for the inevitable television advertisement?

'Okay (s)punk, make my day!'
 
Lesbian couple buy internet sperm

Dr Anthony Cole, "There is also concern that it is wholly undermining some of the building blocks of a stable society."*
Click to expand...

Origonally posted by Rynner
I think this is odd enough now to count as Fortean, but perhaps in future it will be commonplace.
Click to expand...



:furious:

Some random thoughts:

What ever happened to 'It takes a whole village...'?

I get sick and tierd of defending this issue. :rolleyes: For a start, why judge a person on their sexuality rather than what kind of parent they are??! Or blame the possable downfall of society on them? I'm sorry but just because someone is gay why do they have to defend their desires to become a parent (If anyone comes up with 'their own selfish desires, the kid didn't choose' ect, then all parents that choose to become parents are selfish too, and I'm sure people born in war torn or poverty stricken countries didn't choose either, so are their parents being selfish?)? It's just that any old straight person can have a child without question. They're not called selfish or asked how their lifestyle will badly impact on the children. Even though these people work as prostitutes, strippers, have drug/alcohol problems, are single parents, are below the breadline, have an abusive partner, have children fathered by the man they're not married to unbeknown to him, become pregnant through one night stands or rape, go to fetish clubs, wife swap, have affairs.... I'm not saying gays are any better or worse than total straights, it would just be nice to hear that from an opposing side for a change!

And Rynner, fortean? What a load of codswallop. There are more gay parents out there already than you obviously realise.
Some are even still married...:eek!!!!: ;) + Sperm donation by non-clinical method has been going on for years too. There's surrogate mum's for a start.
 
Re: Re: Lesbian Pair Buy Internet Sperm

Wintermoon said:
For a start, why judge a person on their sexuality rather than what kind of parent they are??! Or blame the possable downfall of society on them
Click to expand...

You're quite right, of course, no one should be 'judged' on the basis of their sexuality. However, i find it rather disingenuous when proponents pretend that the sex of those involved in such parentage issues is irrelevant. It is not unfair (or in my view inaccurate) to claim that while men and women are 'equal'(whatever that means), they are at the same time different. My qualm here, and i'm not entrenched merely unconvinced, is whether a child can be brought up equally well by two parents of the same sex. I don't for one second doubt the good-intent, love, and devotion that they would bring to the role but nonetheless their influences and perspectives would, of necessity, be those of that single sex. A child must develop and live in a world that is in many ways defined by gender difference both at a facile 'political' level: emphasis on compassion vs justice etc., and at a more obfuscated psychical depth where opposing gender forces and roles must be brought into repose to ensure a balanced selfhood.

Perhaps in many cases the child would adapt well to a single-sex parentage but it is the unrevealled few who may not that concern me. Similarly, i don't doubt that many children raised by a single parent are well-adjusted and happy, and that many such parents pour love on their kids, but their is a clear statistical link between serious errant behaviour and broken homes. That's not to say that single parents should not be allowed to raise children alone, merely that the situation is not ideal or desirable; for me this justifies the preference for stable couples over lone individuals in adoption decisions.

BTW: In my opinion no one has a right to be a parent, gay or straight.

[rant] As an aside, i find it terrifying and sadening when i see the state of some who are parents. Some of these human detritus would be hard pushed to care for a hamster - the kids start life with no chance - why do these cretins inflict their worthless lives on another being? [/rant] :)
 
Re: Re: Re: Lesbian Pair Buy Internet Sperm

The Yithian said:
However, i find it rather disingenuous when proponents pretend that the sex of those involved in such parentage issues is irrelevant. It is not unfair (or in my view inaccurate) to claim that while men and women are 'equal'(whatever that means), they are at the same time different. My qualm here, and i'm not entrenched merely unconvinced, is whether a child can be brought up equally well by two parents of the same sex. I don't for one second doubt the good-intent, love, and devotion that they would bring to the role but nonetheless their influences and perspectives would, of necessity, be those of that single sex.[/B]
. Similarly, i don't doubt that many children raised by a single parent are well-adjusted and happy, and that many such parents pour love on their kids, but their is a clear statistical link between serious errant behaviour and broken homes. That's not to say that single parents should not be allowed to raise children alone, merely that the situation is not ideal or desirable; for me this justifies the preference for stable couples over lone individuals in adoption decisions.
Click to expand...

Couldn't you say the same of a single parent though? Whilst there are some speratists out there, thankfully they are very rare. Of all the gay parents I know, and have talked to, the influence of the opposite sex of the parents has been discussed and impimented in the form of uncles, grandfathers, male teachers and friends, ect. To be honest, gay parents seem to put in a lot more thought about issues affecting a childs upbringing. That's not because they are better or more thoughtfull, it's because they have too.

Just a thought but maybe the damage is by by the relationship breaking up rather than the fact there is only one dominant parent around?
 
Man Not Included
Click to expand...
Am I being sensitive or does that hint at latent hatred of my gender? Some kind of attempt to reduce 50% of the population into a test tube of liquid you can buy online, because clearly that's all we're good for.
Pick up a new copy of kd lang's lastest album off Amazon, love, and get a baby while you're at it. I'm bored.
Let's have some regulation, please.
 
Dark Detective said:
Pick up a new copy of kd lang's lastest album off Amazon, love, and get a baby while you're at it. I'm bored.
Let's have some regulation, please.
Click to expand...

:D :D

A tub of premium ice cream and a vibrator; who needs those pesky males?
 
Dark Detective said:
Am I being sensitive or does that hint at latent hatred of my gender? Some kind of attempt to reduce 50% of the population into a test tube of liquid you can buy online, because clearly that's all we're good for.
Pick up a new copy of kd lang's lastest album off Amazon, love, and get a baby while you're at it. I'm bored.
Let's have some regulation, please.
Click to expand...

I don't hate men, in fact I'm prone to liking them a lot. ;) I think you'll find it's 'men not included' because of relationship numbers rather than any gender hating. You see, even with apoption, with a straight couple usually there's just the two main people involved right? Well of course with two people of the same gender a third person has to be involved, and with sperm donation it has to be a man! Of course some lesbian couples want the father involved, and some wish to bring the child up themselves, hence the no man bit.

What in particular would you like to regulate? Just gay couples wishing to have children? All people wanting to become parents? Forcing the male/father to stay involved? There's idealism and then there's the real world. Besides, I was brought up by a 100 % straight woman and she didn't do me any favours and neither did my no show dad. He happened to be ran out of town when I was two by my baseball wielding grandfather after finding out he was an alcoholic wife beater. I met him when I was twenty (29 now.) and his first words to me were' "Right, what do you want?" Very personal information that I'm not comfortable putting on a public mb, but tell me, how would you regulate that? Why haven't issues like that been raised on this mb if discussing the welfare of children is so important? Why, when issues like this happen everyday are people so stuck on sexuality instead? Why harp on about no men involved when, when parents split it's 99 % the father that goes AWOL? Why not discuss issues like that?

Anyway, I'm bi, and even when I thought I was a lesbian I never had such bad musical taste as to be into K.D.Lang! ;)
 
750 quid! :eek!!!!: I'll do it for a fiver. Special this month: personal delivery free of charge. PM me for details.

Eyes: green
Hair: thinning
Height: 3'9"
Weight: 7 stone
IQ: Baked potato
Occupation: Raconteur/Cavity search team, Luton Airport.
Sex: Ooh yes.
 
It shows that you've had to defend this a lot because you perceived what I said to be an attack on gay people. It wasn't.

Firstly the name "Men Not Included" does hint at a hidden agenda when there's a wealth of other names they could have picked. It was also initially a service aimed at lesbians. I think it's quite derogatory if you read between the lines.

The point I was making was that having a child ought not to be as simple as buying a CD, something people can do on a whim. Having said that, it can be that easy if six pints of lager and a pair of dim witted teenagers are involved. But that doesn't mean we should encourage it to be that easy. Having a child is not like having a pet. I want to see proper checks on people using this service to ensure they have the material means and the skills and dedication required. Sexuality is not a big issue for me. I'm calling for regulation because it makes it so easy to get a child.

And actually I agree with you. I've thought about this and society isn't going to crumble as we'll always have broken households and irresponsible heterosexual parents who are not around and exist solely to kick the kids out of the house. That's a problem that is not going to go away and deserves more attention than this does.
TBH I don't give a toss unless it turns out to be a big mistake I end up paying for.
My only objection is potentially unleashing a generation of David Crosby's on the world. :D

Explanation: here in case you don't get it...
 
Dark Detective said:
*It shows that you've had to defend this a lot because you perceived what I said to be an attack on gay people. It wasn't.

**Firstly the name "Men Not Included" does hint at a hidden agenda when there's a wealth of other names they could have picked. It was also initially a service aimed at lesbians. I think it's quite derogatory if you read between the lines.

*** Having said that, it can be that easy if six pints of lager and a pair of dim witted teenagers are involved. But that doesn't mean we should encourage it to be that easy. Having a child is not like having a pet. ****I want to see proper checks on people using this service to ensure they have the material means and the skills and dedication required. Sexuality is not a big issue for me. I'm calling for regulation because it makes it so easy to get a child.
Click to expand...

*Well as the talk was about gay parenting, I presumed....

**Maybe it's just because I've had a look in on the other side of this. It's not easy finding a suitable father who has a clean bill of sexual health. Again, it's only males you get sperm from...! But I respect that you have a right to your opinion, and view point.

***Not just teanagers my dear!

****Does that include 'proper checks' on all fertility services? Do couples that go for fertility treatment get checked out by social services? After all, they're more likely to have multiple births and so, as you state, would need more 'material means.' Would drunked one night stand babies also qualify for the parent to be checked for the skills and dedication required? What about married couples? If you start regulating one sector, you have to regulate them all or then phobic issues do become involved.

I'm not overly sticking up for gay parents rights, although it may be perceived this way. I'm actually an equalist and always have been. My point from the start is why pick on people about the sexuality issue when there is much more important issues at stake. It just makes my blood boil when people protest that gay parenting is wrong. To me that's a cover up for homophobia, and it's too easy to go on a witch hunt and not examine one's self own issues, and that of the wider population, wether they be right or wrong.
 
Wintermoon said:
****Does that include 'proper checks' on all fertility services?
Click to expand...
Yes, yes, yes and yes.

It's late, you're poorly, now get some sleep! ;)
 
I know, I know, And I should. :) But it's to muggy :cross eye (Btw, is that a cop out? ;) Just joking, really, just joking! :D )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top