Brave New Babymaking: The Search for Sperm Donor 401

Breakpoint with Chuck Colson ^ | 5/31/2006 | Chuck Colson

[Mr. Silverback]

There are links to further information at the source document.

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[Mr. Silverback]

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[coconutt2000]

I don't see a problem with this.

I prefer people doing this than having abortions.

[Mr. Silverback]

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[cripplecreek]

It certainly beats buying and selling embryonic stem cells.

[Vaquero]

they are all cataloged in 1001 Frozen Pops.

(deftly stolen from The Simpsons)

[SJSAMPLE]

"And she wanted the new baby to have the same father her son did."

I've got news for her; Her son doesn't have a "father".
He has a "sperm donor" and that's all that anonymous male will ever be.

[fromscratchmom]

I'm somehow missing the connection you're making. How is an abortion the alternative to buying sperm or eggs?

For that matter I don't see abortion as an alternative to anything and can't understand when it is used as an tool in an argument where we are supposed to choose something we disagree with--in order to prevent more people choosing abortion, as if they could not have chosen to do better in the first place and can't clean up their mess without committing some further wrong.

But in this instance, I'm just trying to understand how it factors in to your objection to the author of the article ranting against the selling of sperm and eggs.

[little jeremiah]

There is so much wrong with this picture.

[steve-b]

Some European countries have banned donor insemination of single women and the anonymous donation of sperm and eggs. And we ought to be doing exactly the same thing here.

I say to Chuck Colson exactly what I say to Michael Moore -- if you think Europe is so much better than the United States of America, MOVE THERE ALREADY, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

[avg_freeper]

"How long will it be before the most popular “donor fathers” and “egg mothers” decide to cut out the middleman and sell their products on Ebay?"

Isn't this what MySpace is for?

[coconutt2000]

I'm just pointing out that if anybody wants to make an issue about this, it is a far lesser moral infraction than having an abortion.

Shopping for what one might consider superior or preferable genetic material is pretty much a crap shoot, so I don't see this as any particular kind of threat to the valuation of human life.

Thus, being indignant over this gene shopping, as the author seems to be, is pointless. I'd rather spend my energy on the real issue involving procreative control, which is abortion on demand.

[steve-b]

Shopping for what one might consider superior or preferable genetic material is pretty much a crap shoot, so I don't see this as any particular kind of threat to the valuation of human life.

Shopping for what one might consider superior or preferable genetic material is an absolute individual right.

[BenLurkin]

"And she wanted the new baby to have the same father her son did."

WHY?

[Durus]

Some European countries have banned donor insemination of single women and the anonymous donation of sperm and eggs. And we ought to be doing exactly the same thing here.

I read the article and I don't see anything scary. Certianly nothing so worrisome that we should follow the direction of Europe's socialist utopias. There is an undercurrent of class warfare in the article.

[coconutt2000]

I didn't say it wasn't. I just pointed out that:

1) it is a crap shoot... you never know what you're going to get, except that it will fall somewhere within certain parameters. very broad, flexible parameters.
2) reproductive selection on this level poses no threat to the valuation of human life. The miracle of life is the same regardless of how it comes about.

[steve-b]

There is an undercurrent of class warfare in the article.

Colson manages to combine the worst impulses of the Religious Right (their version of Big Brotherism) and the Religious Left (class warfare).

[Monterrosa-24]

"Colson manages to combine the worst impulses of the Religious Right (their version of Big Brotherism) and the Religious Left (class warfare)."

No, Colson is saying that Nazi-like thinking of humans as only things (or good genetic material is wrong). Thinking of "fathers" as mere sperm doners is also wrong.

Having a world where these bred-for-brain-and-body MIT types cannot be sure that they are not marrying their half sister/brother because of anoymous sperm donations and no true family tree is also a problem.

[Carry_Okie]

Some European countries have banned donor insemination of single women and the anonymous donation of sperm and eggs. And we ought to be doing exactly the same thing here.

I'm all for constraining fertility services to married women, but considering Europe's birthrate, I'm not so sure the latter is a good idea. For some happily-married women, egg donation is their only hope of having a baby at all. There are two usual reasons, by far the most common of which is age. IMO there should be an age limit for any fertility services as well as a limit to the number of eggs from a single donor. Here in California, my wife (an infertility nurse) is seeing women in their 50s!

As to adoption, my guess is that the bulk in Europe are Arab kids, for which an indigenous family may be at considerable future risk.

[oprahstheantichrist]

"Here in California, my wife (an infertility nurse) is seeing women in their 50s!"

Huh? I assume you mean that they're trying to become pregnant? That is too wacko, even for CA.