Does sperm have a religion?

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | July 14 2003

[dead]

It's not the physical attributes or medical history of sperm donors that worry many Indian couples opting for assisted reproduction.

Their main concern is religion, a report said yesterday.

Infertility specialists in the western city of Bombay said two in every 10 couples contemplating in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) insisted on knowing the religion of the donor, the Asian Age newspaper reported.

Gynaecologist Hrishikesh Pai said: "Recently a couple insisted the sperm be from a Catholic donor. After a lot of counselling, they agreed to a general donor. Muslims, too, are particular about the religion of the donor."

One couple from the Parsi community decided to remain childless after their request for a Parsi donor was turned down, the report said.

Another doctor, Nandita Palshetkar, said: "A Parsi man had a very low sperm count. He was adamant the donor be Parsi. We tried our best but they would not listen to us. The husband refused IVF for his wife, saying it was better not to have a baby."

Dr Pai said: "What is the religion of the sperm or egg? It's not possible to get donors of a particular caste or religion. Couples going for IVF must not be biased."

In one case, a Hindu vegetarian couple insisted the donor also be vegetarian, the report said.

DPA

[Van Jenerette]

In one case, a Hindu vegetarian couple insisted the donor also be vegetarian...

...for class.(Maybe they wanted a baby couch potato?)

[Lost and Confused]

Whaaaaaaa...?

[AppyPappy]

In one case, a Hindu vegetarian couple insisted the donor also be vegetarian

Hmmmm....maybe this aversion to meat is the reason why they don't have a child.

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[mewzilla]

Anyone else thinking Monty Python's The Meaning of Life?

[stuartcr]

One could almost understand the veg thing...but the religion???

[Dog Gone]

Every sperm is sacred,
every sperm is good
every sperm is needed
in your neighborhood.

[mewzilla]

Now I'm not going to be able to get that darn song outta my head for a while! :)

[Bobdirects]

I'm not sure, but I think it is one of those religions that self-flagellates. :)

[Bobdirects]

By the way, MPTMOL is being released on a special edition DVD on 9/2. Very funny movie, I'll be getting it.

[mewzilla]

Thanks for the info :)

[PLMerite]

Boy, there's a lot of really bad-joke potential in this one...

[r9etb]

One could almost understand the veg thing...but the religion???

Makes perfect sense, actually. One can find a theological basis in the Old Testament, and undoubtedly also in the Koran. Sperm donations outside the religion are tantamount to mixing blood with Gentiles or Infidels.

I think it's part of a general reluctance to cross racial boundaries. I wouldn't go so far as to call it bigotry, but there's probably something visceral about the donations being from "one of us."

[mtbopfuyn]

The husband refused IVF for his wife, saying it was better not to have a baby.

Good decision. I'd hate to be that poor kid living under that guy's strict rules.

[Dog Gone]

There are Jews in the world, there are Buddhists,
There are Hindus and Mormons and then
There are those that follow Mohammed,
but I've never been one of them.

The rest of the lyrics

[ASA Vet]

I once replied to an ad in a journal looking for a donor.
The very good looking women specified a "natural" implantation.
I did fit all the requirements she was looking for, but I never received a response from her.
(I probably should have not included the vastectomy in my medical information.)

[stuartcr]

Theological basis, probably, (which shows how archaic these beliefs are)...common sense, no way. I believe and hope, like other racial boundaries, these theological boundaries will someday be overcome also.

[Blzbba]

LOL! Good, clever humor!

[r9etb]

I believe and hope, like other racial boundaries, these theological boundaries will someday be overcome also.

Well, I don't know. It's one thing to cross racial boundaries on a flesh-to-flesh basis. So long as there's opportunity to get to know people of other races, love and lust will often cross the divide.

But for sperm donations, the whole dynamic is different. A single woman gets to make a discerning choice, and I think she'll probably try to choose a donor that gets her whatever sort of child she's always dreamed of having (probably from childhood). If the mental picture isn't already cross-racial, I'm guessing she wouldn't choose cross-racial.

And for married couples, you've got to consider how they came to that pass in the first place. The man is already in a bad psychological spot, and for his wife to have a baby that's obviously not his, can't be helpful. In that case, a cross-racial choice only makes sense if the couple is mixed-race.